Authorities reported that a 44-year-old woman lost her life in a traffic accident involving three vehicles in Red River Parish on Nov. 18. Law enforcement officials have charged one of the drivers involved in the wreck with careless driving.
The motor vehicle accident took place on U.S. Highway 71 in the vicinity of Louisiana Highway 784 at approximately 8 p.m., reportedly. According to Louisiana State Police, a northbound sedan on U.S. Highway 71 rear-ended a stationary car that was waiting to turn into a private residence. The force of the impact propelled the car into the path of oncoming traffic, where it was struck head-on by a southbound pickup truck, authorities said.
The driver of the stationary car, a 44-year-old Coushatta woman, died as a result of the crash, troopers said. It was not clear whether any of the other motorists involved in the wreck reported suffering any injuries. However, officials did charge the 43-year-old driver of the northbound sedan with careless driving on Nov. 19.
Law enforcement officials also noted that blood samples were taken from the drivers of the three vehicles involved in the wreck and submitted for toxicology analysis. This is standard procedure following accidents of this nature. If, hypothetically, results from the analysis were to indicate that one of the drivers was impaired by, say, drugs at the time of the crash, then there may be grounds for civil action besides criminal charges.
That is because people who suffer injuries or the loss of a loved one on account of a traffic accident linked to impaired driving may be entitled to financial compensation in civil court. Many such victims retain an attorney and file suit against the suspected impaired driver, seeking restitution for their losses.
Source: KSLA, “Coushatta woman killed in Red River Parish car wreck“, November 19, 2014
