Most weekday mornings during the school year, children leave their homes for school. Louisiana parents expect their children to come home at the end of the day, but tragically, that is not always the case. Two teenage girls suffered catastrophic injuries in an accident that took their lives, and a third was seriously injured.
The girls were walking to school when a pickup truck struck them. One of the girls died at the scene. Another girl survived to be transported to a hospital but also succumbed to her injuries. It was not reported how the third girl is recovering from her injuries.
After striking the girls, the pickup entered a ditch, hit a utility pole and a culvert. It then re-entered the roadway, went back into the ditch, hit another culvert and finally came to rest. The driver was in critical condition at an area hospital at last report.
Louisiana State Police troopers are still attempting to determine the reason the pickup truck struck the girls. A toxicology sample is at the state’s crime lab for testing. The results of the investigation could lead to criminal charges against the driver.
The families of the victims do not have to wait for the results of the investigation to exercise their rights to file civil actions for the catastrophic injuries suffered by the two girls and the serious injuries suffered by the third. Successfully proving that the driver was negligent could lead to an award of damages. This will not change the events of that morning, but it could help with the financial burdens that ordinarily accompany fatal accidents.
Source: wbtw.com, “2 teen girls walking to school killed in crash in La.; man in custody”, Oct. 30, 2014