Louisiana Injury Lawyer Blog

Louisiana State Police Troop F Troopers investigated the twenty-third fatal car wreck of 2010 on July 23, 2010, in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. A Florida man was killed and several others injured when a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban traveling on I-20 swerved right and struck a 2002 GMC truck traveling in the adjacent lane. The injured persons were transported to Lincoln General Hospital for medical treatment.

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Louisiana State Police Troop I investigated its 36th fatal car crash on July 9, 2010 on Louisiana Highway 347 in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. A Loreauville, Louisiana man who was not wearing his seat belt lost his life when he failed to negotiate a curve and ran his 1996 Pontiac Grand Am into a ditch, striking a culvert.

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A 19 year old active duty soldier was killed in a single vehicle car crash in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana on July 2, 2010, when his 1994 Ford Explorer ran off the right side of Louisiana Highway 120 in a curve. As the driver attempted to reenter the highway, he over-corrected and his Ford Explorer began to rotate to the left and then rolled over. The driver was not wearing his seat belt.

Louisiana State Troopers in Troop E have investigated 32 fatal car crashes this year, resulting in 37 fatalities

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A three car crash in Ascension Parish, Louisiana on I-10 east of U.S. Highway 61 occurred on June 4, 2010. The car wreck occurred when a Metairie, Louisiana driver operating a 2006 Acura west on I-10 crossed the median and struck a 2007 Ford van and pushed it into a 2010 Dodge Avenger. The driver (from Colfax, Louisiana) and passengers (from Montgomery, Louisiana) in the Van were treated at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales, Louisiana for the injuries, with one passenger being pronounced dead at the hospital.

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Louisiana State Police Troopers have investigated 15 fatal crashes resulting in 15 deaths in Troop F in 2010. The most recent involved an unrestrained 16 year old girl from Columbia who died on June 3, 2010 in a one vehicle crash in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. The young girl was operating a Chevrolet Truck southbound on Louisiana Highway 557, and apparently failed to negotiate a left hand curve. The Chevrolet truck ran off the road and slid sideways into a tree.

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On the morning of June 3, 2010, a 2008 Peterbilt 18 wheeler ran off I-55 and hit a tree, causing the big rig to jack-knife and catch on fire. The 29 year old driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

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Louisiana State Troopers have investigated 4 fatal ATV crashes in Troop A in the past year. The most recent occurred on June 2, 2010, when a young man riding a Yamaha ATV on the Mississippi River Levee around Geismar, Louisiana, entered Louisiana Highway 75 and hit the driver's side of a 2003 Ford Expedition traveling in the opposite direction. The young man, who was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, later died at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center from his accident related injuries.

According to a Louisiana State Police press release regarding this accident, "Troopers would like to stress the importance of wearing proper safety equipment while riding ATV's. In addition, it is very important that ATV operators are properly trained, comfortable, and on the appropriate size ATV before riding alone. Taking the necessary precautions could mean the difference between life and death."

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Louisiana State Troopers have investigated 29 fatal crashes involving 34 deaths in Troop E this year. The most recent claimed the life of Center Point, Louisiana woman, when she lost control of her Chevrolet truck and left Spring Bayou Road in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana and struck a tree. She was not wearing her seat belt.

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The Deepwater Horizon oil platform sank into the Gulf of Mexico yesterday after burning out of control following an explosion. Eleven workers are still missing and are not expected to be found alive. At least one lawsuit has already been filed against the rig's owner, Transocean, Ltd., and contractor, BP. In addition to the devastating loss of life that is expected to result from this preventable explosion, extreme environmental damage is also expected since the oil platform carried 700,000 gallons of diesel fuel and could spill as much as 8,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

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A Franklinton, Louisiana man driving a 2001 Ford Expedition attempted to pass four vehicles in a no-passing zone on Louisiana Highway 10 around Bogalusa, Louisiana, on Friday, April 16, 2010, resulting in a head-on collision car wreck with a 2001 Ford truck that caught on fire after impact. The drivers of both vehicles were killed. One passenger in the Ford Expedition received moderate injuries and a restrained child received serious injuries.

According to Baton Rouge, Louisiana car wreck lawyer, Scott Andrews, the driver of the 2001 Ford expedition is presumed to be at fault in causing the head-on collision because he was passing in a no-passing zone in violation of the Louisiana Highway Regulatory Act and because the car wreck occurred in the opposing lane of travel.

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On March 19, 2010, an Iowa jury returned a $32.8 million verdict in favor of Ivon Toe, Assata Karlar and five passengers in a 1997 Chrysler minivan that rolled over after sustaining a tire tread separation on the rear mounted Cooper Tire. Ivon Toe was rendered quadriplegic and Assata Karla suffered a wrongful death. Part of the jury verdict included punitive damages assessed against Cooper Tire. The plaintiffs' attorneys relied on Cooper Tire's delay for years in making needed changes to its tires despite Cooper Tire documents wherein Cooper Tire executives discussed tire failure rates and the cost of remediation. Cooper Tire claims its tires, including the tire involved in the Toe case, "are safe and reliable, exceeding not only all government standards but also our own, more rigorous, internal standards." Cooper Tire says it will appeal the jury's verdict. The case is Toe v. Cooper Tire and Rubber, CL 10694, Iowa District Court, Polk County (Des Moines).

Continue reading "Cooper Tire Tread Separation Results in $32.8 Million Jury Verdict for Rollover Accident Resulting in Quadriplegia and Wrongful Death" »

On March 3, 2010, the operator of a Harley Davidson motorcycle changed lanes into the path of an International 18 wheeler as he approached the Gause Boulevard exit on I-10 in Slidell, Louisiana. The motorcycle operator was pronounced dead at the scene from the injuries sustained in the motorcycle wreck.

According to Baton Rouge, Louisiana motorcycle accident lawyer, Scott Andrews, a following motorist who strikes a preceding motorist is usually presumed at fault for the rear-end collision because the following motorist must maintain a sufficient distance from the vehicle in front of him to avoid a collision under circumstances which should be reasonably anticipated. The presumption is rebutted by proving that the driver had his vehicle under control, that he closely observed the preceding vehicle, and that he followed at a safe distance under the circumstances. The following driver may also rebut the presumption of liability by proving that the other driver created a hazard which he could not reasonably avoid, such as changing lanes suddenly and without warning.

Continue reading "One Dead After Slidell Louisiana Motorcycle Wreck" »

A 2007 International 18-wheeler driver fell asleep and crossed the center line of Louisiana Highway 24 in Larose, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, killing a Dodge truck driver. The pick-up driver was unable to avoid the collision with the oncoming big rig. According to a study conducted by the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research, through interviews with randomly selected long-distance truck drivers, 47.1% had fallen asleep at the wheel at least once, and 25.4% within the last year.

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On February 16, 2010, a Southland Steel Fabricators construction worker suffered a fatal traumatic brain injury and another worker sustained minor injuries in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after the construction workers fell 20 feet to the ground from a lift after it was struck by a beam.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 1,178 fatal work injuries occurred in the construction industry in 2007, the most of any industry, with laborers accounting for the largest number of fatal work injuries among construction occupations.

According to Baton Rouge, Louisiana brain injury attorney, Scott Andrews, construction workers injured or killed on the job are usually barred from filing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit because of Louisiana's strict worker's compensation immunity for direct and statutory employers. However, if the construction worker's accident was caused in part by the fault of the employee of a different subcontractor or independent contractor, then the injured construction worker may be able to file a third-party tort action. Injured workers or their families should always consult with an experienced industrial accident or construction accident injury attorney before accepting the employer's representation that worker's compensation is the exclusive remedy for the injury or death.

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A pickup truck crossed the center line and collided head-on with Trace Adkins' tour bus in Caddo Parish, Louisiana on February 13, 2010. The truck driver and his passenger were killed instantly. Five members of Trace Adkins' band received minor injuries.

According to Baton Rouge, Louisiana truck injury lawyer, Scott Andrews, when a driver on the wrong side of the road collides with another vehicle which is in its correct lane of travel, there is a presumption that the driver on the wrong side of the road is at fault, and he is required to show that he committed no fault, however slight, that contributed to the accident. This is in line with the general duty that a motorist owes to the traveling public of remaining in his own lane of traffic. When he undertakes to enter the lane devoted to approaching traffic he must be held strictly accountable for all damages resulting therefrom unless he clearly exhibits that his conduct in no wise contributed to the accident. In order to be exonerated, he must establish his freedom from all fault by convincing proof. The trespassing motorist having caused the accident by leaving his own traffic lane, is presumed guilty of negligence and the onus rests on him to demonstrate that the accident resulted from such a state of unforeseeable circumstances beyond his control and to which he did not contribute, that he could not extricate himself, despite the efficient use of all protective measures at his command.

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