Any car accident is a tragedy, but when someone is struck by a careless or reckless motorist, it makes it so much worse. When someone is seriously injured or, worse, killed by a driver who just drifted across the center line or smashed into the back of a stopped vehicle, Louisiana residents can file personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits, respectively. These lawsuits hold the driver responsible for his or her careless actions and ensure that the message is clear, that kind of driving is unacceptable in Louisiana.
It remains to be seen if a fatal crash in East Baton Rouge Parish earlier this month will end with a wrongful death lawsuit, but it is pretty clear that the family of a 48-year-old Clinton woman would be justified in bringing the claim. The woman had been driving near the intersection of Liberty and Greenwell Springs roads in midmorning when the 30-year-old driver of a GMC pickup crossed the center line and smashed into her Toyota Corolla.
The 30-year-old did undergo a breath test with Louisiana State Police and submitted to a urinalysis, as well. Though the breath test determined that he had no alcohol in his system, the results of the urinalysis have yet to be determined. Police have charges pending, but those criminal charges will not help the grieving family of the 48-year-old woman move forward with their lives following this tragic crash like a wrongful death lawsuit might.
It remains to be seen what caused the driver to cross into oncoming traffic and plow into an innocent driver. While Louisiana State Police continue to investigate the accident, this woman’s family is having to grieve the loss of a loved one.
Source: CBS 9 WAFB, “Clinton woman dies in fatal crash in EBR Parish,” July 11, 2012
