Vehicular Homicide

Court Orders 'Immature And Stupid" Drivers To Pay $5.5 Million

November 23, 2016 by Lee Hoffoss

An East Baton Rouge court closed the book on a 2013 serious injury collision that killed five people.
Citing their “immaturity and stupidity,” District Judge William Morvant ordered 34-year-old David Leger and 27-year-old Kelsye Hall to pay $5.5 million to the families of the five victims. According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Leger and Ms. Hall played a high-speed game of “cat and mouse” after a road rage incident. Mr. Leger, whose BAC was well above the legal limit, lost control of his pickup truck. The vehicle shot across Interstate 10’s grassy median and smashed into Effie Fontenot’s car. The ensuing fireball killed all five people in the car. [Read more…] about Court Orders 'Immature And Stupid" Drivers To Pay $5.5 Million

"Fatal Accident" At Area High School

October 13, 2016 by Lee Hoffoss

Local authorities hope that a “vehicle crash” outside a local high school will make a strong impression on area teenagers.
With Homecoming coming up at Monroe Neville High School, Louisiana State Police and other first responders descended on campus to give students a demonstration about what can happen in alcohol-related vehicle crashes. The “injuries” ranged from mild to severe; one passenger was ejected from a vehicle and “declared dead at the scene.” LSP officers explained that one of the “drivers” was impaired and would face several criminal charges, including DUI manslaughter. Area schools, including Neville, have staged similar vehicle crash demonstrations in each of the last three years.
“We are trying to teach them you can make a better choice than driving home and getting involved in something like this,” said Troop F Public Information Officer Michael Reichardt. [Read more…] about "Fatal Accident" At Area High School

Flat Tire Leads to Homicide Plea in Fatal Accident in Louisiana

May 28, 2013 by Lee Hoffoss

A man was traveling north on U.S. 171 last April when he got flat tire on the Calcasieu River Bridge. At the same time, another vehicle was also traveling north on U.S. 171 heading toward the man and his disabled vehicle. The woman driving that car ended up slamming into the disabled car killing the man and his daughter who was only 13 years old at the time of the fatal accident.
Now, a little more than a year later, the woman driving the car has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and negligent injuring in connection with the deaths of the father and daughter. Louisiana authorities discovered that the woman had taken a number of drugs on the day of the accident. It is believed that due to this drug use, she was impaired when she struck the man’s car.
The entered her plea just a week before she was to go to trial. Her sentencing has been scheduled for July 26. It is not known whether the victims’ family will be present at that sentencing.
This fatal accident may serve as a reminder to Louisiana drivers just how fragile life is and how quickly things can change. This family didn’t only lose one member that day, but two. The young girl that was killed will never get a chance to grow up, and her family will never know the kind of woman she would have become. The victims’ family may be able to gain their own sense of justice by filing wrongful death claims against the woman who has now admitted to taking their lives.

3 Killed and 1 Charged in Separate Louisiana Car Accidents

January 25, 2013 by Lee Hoffoss

Two separate accidents on Louisiana roadways have led to the death of three men and criminal allegations against another man. It is speculated that careless driving for prevailing weather conditions may have been a significant factor in both car accidents. One accident occurred in Slidell, and the other occurred near Ponchatoula.
The accident in Slidell occurred when the driver somehow lost control of his vehicle, sending it spinning into a tree. The driver and front seat passenger were taken to Ochsner Northshore Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries. The backseat passenger was apparently not properly restrained during the accident and was fatally injured. After being treated for his injuries, the driver was taken to St. Tammany Parish Jail on charges of negligent homicide, careless operation and other charges.
The accident near Ponchatoula on Interstate 55 occurred when a driver lost control of his vehicle, causing it to scrape the right side of an 18-wheeler. The driver then over corrected and landed on its roof in a canal containing at least a few feet of water. Both the driver and front seat passenger were unable to free themselves from the vehicle and died.
The driver of the 18-wheeler in the second accident was not hurt, and a breath test did not indicate he had been drinking alcohol. The Louisiana State Police are not sure whether any drivers were impaired at the time of the accidents. Toxicology samples have been taken and will be analyzed.
There are several thousands of car accidents each year involving drivers that do not take reasonable care during inclement weather, and some of those accidents result in death. It is then that the family of the victim may file a wrongful death claim against the party or parties deemed responsible. This appears to be the case in connection with the Slidell accident, though in the Ponchatoula accident, the driver apparently responsible was also killed. It may still be possible for the family of the passenger to file a wrongful death claim against the estate of the deceased driver, based upon proof of negligence. No matter what the families in these cases decide to do, nothing can change the tragic consequences of the fatal collisions.