The Ironman competition is an event that tests the pure athleticism of the individuals that compete in the trial. It was recently held in New Orleans. Those that competed in the Ochsner IRONMAN 70.3 New Orleans were asked to swim 1.2 miles, ride a bicycle on a route that took them across 56 miles of earth and then they were invited to get off the bike and run 13.1 miles.
For someone to be able to say that he or she completed this event is something to be very proud of. That was a claim that two particular athletes wanted to make this year, but it wasn’t going to happen. Why? The driver of a vehicle struck and seriously injured them while they were training in New Orleans.
The car accident occurred on Friday, April 11, when the two athletes were riding their bicycles, training for the event that was to occur just two days later. They were riding along Chef Menteur Highway at approximately 11:30 a.m. when a passenger car traveling in the eastbound direction rear-ended the two individuals.
A spokesman for the New Orleans Police Department confirmed that one of these athletes did not survive the injuries that were suffered that day. The second athlete was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Although the second athlete was in critical condition, the individual was alive at the time of the report.
Rising health care costs are currently a major subject of debate across the nation, and there is no doubt that the medical bills associated with this type of car accident will likely be extensive. Medical bills are just one of the costs that a victim may incur after an accident, and just one of the reasons why victims or their families will seek compensation with the assistance of a personal injury attorney.
Source: The Times-Picayune, “Ironman bicyclist killed, another injured, in eastern New Orleans crash,” Naomi Martin, April 11, 2014
