The Louisiana State Police announced its intention to seek a variety of criminal charges against a 42-year-old man from Baton Rouge. The charges relate to a traffic accident on July 7 that led to one fatality.
According to the police reports, the man was driving a Chevrolet Avalanche down Blackwater Road in Baton Rouge at 10 p.m. As the vehicle passed north of Hooper Road, the driver lost control of the vehicle for unknown reasons. The truck turned over, coming to rest in a driveway, and the passenger of the vehicle was thrown from the wreckage completely. The passenger, a 35-year-old woman from Baton Rouge, was pronounced dead at the scene of the one-car accident. The driver was seriously injured and had to be taken to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital for treatment.
It was initially unclear exactly who had been behind the wheel of the vehicle at the time of the accident. The investigation revealed that the surviving man had been the driver and the deceased individual was the passenger. The police plan to charge the driver with vehicular homicide. He will also face charges of reckless operation, driving without a driver’s license, driving a vehicle with an illegally altered temporary tag and motor vehicle inspection paperwork, failure to properly register an automobile, driving without insurance and DWI.
The surviving family members of a person who has been killed in a motor vehicle accident that was caused by an impaired or otherwise negligent driver may wish to speak with an attorney about the advisability of filing a wrongful death lawsuit. Such a suit, seeking compensation for funeral and burial expenses and other damages allowed by statute, can be successful even if no criminal conviction results, as the burden of proof in such a civil action is less than that in a criminal case.
Source: NOLA, “Hospitalized Baton Rouge man faces vehicular homicide, DWI, 6 other charges”, Emily Lane, July 13, 2015
