Recently, the family of a Louisiana man was given the news that he had been killed in a single car accident. The 25-year-old had been a passenger in pickup truck driven by an 18-year-old man. Now, as the young man driving the vehicle faces criminal charges in connection with the death of this family’s loved one, his family may exercise their right to file a wrongful death claim.
The pickup truck was traveling southbound on Lauderdale Woodyard Road near U.S. Highway 190. For an as yet unknown reason, the vehicle left the road and slammed into a utility pole. The Louisiana man that had been in the passenger’s seat died at the scene from the injuries he sustained in the crash.
The driver of the vehicle suffered moderate injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Once the hospital released him, he was arrested and taken to the Allen Parish Jail. He has since been charged with not wearing a seat belt, careless operation, DWI and vehicular homicide.
The report did not say whether police took a toxicology sample, and if so, what the results that test indicated. If the teenage driver was impaired at the time of the accident, that fact can be used by the family of the deceased passenger in a wrongful death case as they seek to establish that the driver was negligent. If they are able to prove negligence, the family may be awarded costs and damages incurred in connection with his untimely and tragic death.
Source: therepublic.com, State police: Kinder man killed in single-vehicle crash in Allen Parish, No author, Aug. 23, 2013