A 30-year-old Louisiana man who allegedly killed seven people while drunk driving is challenging the police department and the court by refuting the accident report filed by police.
The incident occurred at about 10 p.m. on May 30 very near the town of Slaughter, Louisiana, and members of three families connected to the crime lost seven family members who were on their way home from church. According to police records, the suspect drove his 2007 Dodge truck into a 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis. Allegedly, the suspect had a blood alcohol content of almost twice the legal limit.
Five were killed at the scene, and two remained critically injured until succumbing to their injuries. One was as young as 6 years old with the others ages 64, 35, 33, 15, 13 and 12.
When appearing in court, the victims’ family members rallied at the courthouse site in matching T-shirts and holding signs to show that they wanted justice. A spokesperson for the family said they will continue to be at the court throughout the trial.
Now, the suspect and his attorney are questioning the police report and say they will complete their own investigation and review the document. If the charges are reduced or even thrown out, it will likely be heartbreaking for the families of the crash victims. There are other means of getting justice, however, including wrongful death lawsuits. By working with a lawyer to file wrongful death lawsuits, the families will be able to make the driver pay for his carelessness on the night of the accident.
This is also the suspect’s second drunk driving offense and he also faces charges of driving left of center and reckless operation of a motor vehicle.
Source: 12 KSLA, “Attorney challenges accident report from deadly Slaughter crash,” Cheryl Mercedes, Sept. 11, 2012
