Unfortunately, car accidents are commonplace in Louisiana and around the United States. The fact that they regularly occur, however, does not lessen the pain felt when a family member is killed in a car crash. Some accidents are the pure result of chance and unfortunate circumstances, but many others are directly caused by the negligence of another. When someone’s negligence or recklessness is at fault, a wrongful death lawsuit can be a way to hold the responsible party liable and provide compensation for the victim’s family.
A fatal car accident that recently occurred in Louisiana involved a 46-year-old man driving a pickup truck and an 18-wheeler. The tractor trailer ended up stalled on the highway when its airlines, fuel lines and electrical lines were torn from underneath the truck after it ran over a mattress on the highway. The pickup truck subsequently hit the stalled 18-wheeler from behind and burst into flames. The driver of the pickup truck died at the scene.
Although initial reports did not indicate whether any findings of liability have been made yet, there are several different possibilities in terms of who is at fault. Perhaps the vehicle that was originally carrying the mattress could be held liable, since it was the mattress on the highway that initially created the problem. Perhaps the stalled tractor trailer did not take proper precautions to indicate that it was stopped and unmoving, despite being on the highway, which might make its driver or company owner responsible for the accident.
Discussing each person’s individual situation with an attorney and conducting a thorough investigation of an accident can help the surviving relatives of victims determine whether a wrongful death lawsuit would have a strong chance of success. The law provides for these kinds of lawsuits so that victims and their relatives are compensated for their financial losses stemming from an accident caused by the negligence of another. Expenses that can be recovered include funeral costs, lost income, medical bills and damages for pain and suffering.
Source: Clarion Ledger, “Miss. man killed in La. car crash,” Nov. 11, 2013