This month, the Louisiana State Police will supplement the nationwide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign with the annual Zero for December initiative, to hopefully eliminate fatal accidents in the coming weeks.
Officers plan to use a combination of sobriety checkpoints and aggressive saturation enforcement to combat impaired driving this holiday season. Although the Zero for December program has never reached that goal, Cassie Parker of the South Central Planning and Development Commission said the goal remained the same. “Every fatality involving a car crash is preventable, 100 percent,” she insisted, if vehicle occupants buckle up, drivers avoid alcohol, obey the speed limit, and focus on driving. “We all have a responsibility to do those things,” she added. The LSP has observed Zero for December every year since 2001. [Read more…] about Authorities Initiate 'Zero For December' Campaign
injuries
High-Speed, Non-Crosswalk Wreck Seriously Injures Pedestrian
An unidentified female is clinging to life at a local hospital after a pedestrian-auto crash in Lafayette.
According to police, an oncoming car hit the victim in the 2400 block of Johnson Street. She was immediately transported to a local hospital with unspecified injuries that were described only as severe. Authorities shut down Johnson Street and the surrounding area for several hours while they conducted an intensive investigation.
No charges are pending against the driver, whose name was not released, at this time. [Read more…] about High-Speed, Non-Crosswalk Wreck Seriously Injures Pedestrian
State Senator Faces Multiple Assault Charges
Orleans Criminal District Court Judge Camille Buras refused to raise the bail of a state senator who may be suffering from the lingering effects of a brain injury.
Prosecutors wanted to increase 44-year-old Troy Brown’s bail from $5,000 to $25,000 as he awaits trial on charges stemming from a November fight with a woman characterized as Senator Brown’s “side friend.” Eight months later, authorities arrested Senator Brown again, this time after he allegedly bit his wife’s forearm during an argument. He says he is “not able to recall” the details of either incident, because of memory loss issues that began when he sustained a head injury in 1991.
Louisiana Senate President John Alario (R-Westwego) said that the chamber would remove Senator Brown (D-Ascension) from all his current committee assignments; Senator Alario also suggested that Senator Brown consider resigning.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Even though over 1.7 million Americans sustain a TBI every year, these injures are frequently misdiagnosed, and as a result, often not properly treated. Many TBIs occur in motor vehicle crashes, and the disorientation and nausea/vomiting that are frequently associated with brain injuries are often dismissed as shock from the car crash. Often, victims only seek treatment for TBIs when their symptoms persist for several days and they develop new ones, like headaches, memory loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and moodswings or personality changes. In time, victims eventually develop dementia-like symptoms and even die.
Motor vehicle crashes cause so many TBIs because when the vehicle comes to a sudden stop, people and objects inside the car keep moving at the same speed. It’s like being in a roller coaster: when the roller coaster suddenly swerves, the occupants keep going forward for a fraction of a second. That effect is multiplied at freeway speeds.
Crash-related TBIs, and all other brain injuries, require prompt diagnosis, aggressive medical treatment, and extended physical therapy, so victims are often entitled to significant compensation. This compensation includes money for economic damages, like medical bills, and noneconomic damages, like loss of consortium (companionship and contribution to household management).
TBIs often have life-altering consequences for victims, as well as their families and friends. For a free consultation with a diligent personal injury lawyer in Lake Charles, contact Hoffhoss Devall. Our attorneys are licensed in both Texas and Louisiana.
Car Wreck East of Lake Charles Leaves 1 Dead
Louisiana State Police were called to an accident on Interstate 10 east of Lake Charles recently. The investigation of the two car wreck has resulted in one driver being charged. The passenger in that driver’s vehicle died at the scene.
The accident occurred when a Mazda heading east on Interstate 10 near Lake Charles sideswiped a second vehicle. That impact threw the Mazda into a guardrail. The passenger in that vehicle was thrown out of the vehicle during the crash; and emergency personnel pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
The driver of the Mazda was taken to an area hospital and treated for what have been described as minor injuries. The driver of the vehicle he sideswiped was lucky enough to escape uninjured. The driver believed to have caused the accident has been charged with careless operation, DWI and vehicular homicide.
Families of car accident victims may find themselves feeling helpless and at the mercy of the criminal justice system to give them the peace of mind they may be looking for after losing a loved one. According to our state laws, families that have lost a loved one due to the negligent actions of another party retain the right to file a wrongful death claim against the driver responsible for the accident. Outside of the emotional impact of their loss, this victim’s family may also be feeling the financial impact of their loved one’s death. If they are able to demonstrate to a Louisiana court that the driver police say is responsible for the car wreck was negligent and that his actions caused or contributed to the death of their family member, they may be able to achieve their own sense of justice along with an award of the costs and damages sustained as a result of the victim’s death.
Louisiana Auto Accident: New Year's Partying Leads to Tragedy
New Orleans’ French Quarter has long been a popular spot to ring in the New Year. Unfortunately, the most well known spot in Louisiana became the scene of a horrific pedestrian vs. auto accident. The victim had to be placed in a medically-induced coma due to her injuries.
The victim and a group of friends were looking for a taxi around Decatur Street when the accident happened. A friend of the victim said he found the victim lying on the ground. He further stated that he did not see the accident happen.
Through other witnesses, it was determined that two people from the same group of friends had been struck by one car. The impact flung the victim into oncoming traffic, where she was struck by another car. The driver of the second car that hit the victim remained at the scene, but the original vehicle that struck her and another person fled the scene.
The young woman was transported to University Hospital where she remains in a coma. She will have to have surgery to repair a shattered pelvis. Her recovery could take weeks or even months. Authorities are trying to locate the vehicle that caused the original impact.
The young woman’s parents are eager to find out who injured their daughter as well. Even though it may not be at the forefront of their minds, the victim retains the right to file a personal injury lawsuit against the party or parties responsible for her injuries. Filing a civil action won’t heal her injuries any more quickly, but a successful result may help the victim and her family defray the financial impact of this tragic auto accident. Medical expenses and lost wages are just a couple of the costs allowed under Louisiana law that the victim and her family may recover if a lawsuit is successful.
Four People Injured in Recent Louisiana Crash
Car wrecks in Louisiana can be quite serious and may leave multiple people injured, suffering or even dead. A recent motor vehicle accident left four people injured.
According to authorities, the accident occurred around 10:30 a.m. when a silver Ford Taurus entered the westbound lane of a road from an off-ramp. The vehicle hit a westbound gold Mazda.
Authorities are still investigating the car accident and its cause. According to reports, two individuals were in each car, all of whom sustained injuries in the crash. They were taken to area hospitals where their injuries reportedly ranged from minor to critical.
The most severely injured was the front-seat passenger in the Ford Taurus. The other occupants reportedly suffered moderate injuries. The passengers in the other vehicle were said to have suffered injuries initially characterized as minor to moderate.
Car accidents like this one can understandably result in a great deal of emotional and physical damage, not just to the owners of the vehicles, but their passengers as well. When people get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle in Louisiana, they are expected to show reasonable care to others in or near the roadway. Practicing safe driving and obeying traffic laws, as well as being cautious and aware of drivers who may not be driving as safely, can help keep people out of harm’s way.
One can only hope that those involved in this collision recover quickly and completely from their injuries. As with all car accidents, they may turn to Louisiana state courts to seek reimbursement for damages caused by the negligence of another person.