New Orleans Personal Injury Attorneys

Multi-semi accident in Louisiana leaves two fatally injured

On Behalf of | May 7, 2014 | Truck Accidents

As readers of this blog may have seen, previous postings have discussed the dangerous nature of accidents that involve commercial motor vehicles, such as 18-wheelers. In many of these postings, the individuals that suffer serious injuries are those in the smaller vehicles. However, that is not always the case, as was proven by a recent 18-wheeler accident that occurred near Baton Rouge, which left two people fatally injured.

The multi-vehicle accident occurred around 5:00 in the evening and involved four 18-wheelers. The driver of one of the 18-wheelers was driving eastbound and was unable to stop in time when traffic became congested. As a result, he rear-ended another 18-wheeler. This initial impact caused a chain reaction accident with two more 18-wheelers.

The trailers from one of the semis became dislodged and fell over the guardrail to the ground below. Another one of the semi-trucks caught fire. Unfortunately, the driver of the first semi and his passenger, his wife, both suffered fatal injuries. Thankfully, the rest of the individuals traveling in the other three semis suffered only minor injuries.

Sometimes, when one or more individuals are killed in an 18-wheeler accident or another type of accident, the surviving family members of those parties can file a wrongful death lawsuit. A wrongful death claim will help the survivors recover monetary compensation for items such as medical and death expenses and sometimes also lost wages and pain and suffering.

However, in order for this type of claim to be successful, the death must have been the result of another involved party’s negligence. If the party that was fatally injured was also the negligent party, the family that has unexpectedly lost their loved ones may not have a cause of action to obtain

n recovery.

Source: WWLTV, “Accident involving four 18-wheelers kills two near Baton Rouge,” May 3, 2014

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