The lawyer for the parents who lost their son in a car accident said that they are considering appealing their case to the Louisiana Supreme Court after a disappointing appeals court decision. A majority of the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal declared that the woman who owned the Nissan Maxima that was involved in the fatal accident was not responsible.
Her husband had been driving the Nissan when it hit a truck driven by a veterinarian transporting animals north of Raceland. The veterinarian died at the scene, and his parents filed a wrongful death case against the driver, his wife and their insurance company. According to the police report, the male driver of the Nissan was speeding and impaired at the time of the accident. A court subsequently sentenced him to 30 years for vehicular homicide.
Authorities had already prohibited him driving a vehicle without an ignition interlock device. His wife claimed he took the Nissan without her knowledge or permission, but the parents of the victim presented evidence from a previous traffic infraction involving her husband when he testified about driving his wife’s Nissan. The appeals court, however, sided with her position that no evidence proved her responsibility for the accident.
Victims of car accident injuries often are force to incur significant medical expenses, and their financial situation suffers even further when they are unable to earn an income for prolonged periods. In the event that the accident was caused by the negligence of another driver, an injured victim might want to obtain the assistance of a personal injury attorney in pursuing damages from the responsible party.
Source: HoumaToday, “Raceland woman wins appeal in fatal crash“, Meredith Burns, Aug. 4, 2015
