It’s happened to so many drivers at some point in their lives: you’re driving along the road when suddenly your car starts acting up. It starts sputtering and jerking. The wheel locks up and suddenly the car goes dead.
That familiar scenario played itself out on Interstate 10 near Sulphur around 1 a.m. on a Friday morning in April and the consequences were tragic for one Louisiana woman.
The driver of the stalled vehicle left the three passengers in the car while he attempted to push the vehicle out of the way of oncoming traffic. After realizing that this would be an impossibility, he began signaling to other vehicles traveling in the blocked lane to warn them of the incapacitated car.
His warnings went unheeded by an 18-wheeler whose driver seemingly did not see the stalled car. The semi-truck slammed into the stopped car, instantly ejecting and killing the front seat passenger.
Both backseat passengers suffered injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment. The driver of the 18-wheeler was taken to a hospital in Lake Charles and treated for minor injuries.
The driver of the stalled car was physically unharmed.
Legally, accidents involving commercial vehicles—like 18-wheelers, semis, delivery vehicles and tractor trailers—and passenger vehicles are not handled the same way as normal collisions. Commercial vehicles’ owners are often large, multinational corporations with the resources to fight claims of fatigued or distracted truck drivers.
Seeking the help of a legal professional in Louisiana may be the only way to fight back and receive compensation for lost wages, medical expenses and the pain and suffering that may have been caused by the accident.
Source: kplctv.com, “Two-vehicle crash near Sulphur takes life of one, sends three others to hospital,” Erin Miller, April 25, 2014
