The people of Sulphur may remember the tragic death of a New Orleans teenager who was killed by a 23-year-old driver who was attempting to outrun police on Jan. 7, 2011. The 18-year-old woman had just graduated from high school and was with a few friends when the car she was in was hit by a Hyundai Sonata driven by the 23-year-old. Sadly, the car accident victim died of traumatic injuries.
Though most car accidents are caused by careless and reckless drivers, this crash was caused by someone who was only interested in protecting himself and his illegal enterprise. He was trying to outrun police after they tried to pull him over for making an illegal turn. Once the chase started, officers reported seeing him throw a powdery substance from the car.
The chase quickly became dangerous with both the officer and the driver traveling over 50 mph on New Orleans’ streets. Eventually, both of them started down a one-way street in the wrong direction, ending with the fatal accident.
While the 18-year-old’s family members and the family members of the other injured passengers in the vehicle may be happy that the man has been convicted of manslaughter, they may wish to also file wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits against the man. For some families, a criminal conviction is enough, but many others also realize that a serious car accident is an extremely costly event. There are medical bills, lost wages, years of rehabilitation and funeral costs that all need to be paid. Using an award from a civil lawsuit helps many families move forward from an extremely difficult and emotional time.
Source: The Times-Picayune, “Man convicted of manslaughter, drug charge in deadly Uptown car chase,” John Simerman, May 23, 2012
