Louisiana traffic accidents that occur in an area with inadequate infrastructure could disrupt an entire region’s work and school day, especially if the roadway that is blocked is a major highway. In such an example, the westbound lanes of I-10 at the Mississippi River bridge were shut down for 12 hours after multiple 18-wheelers crashed around 3:00 a.m. on Dec. 8.
Traffic was detoured and caused a back-up that caused many commuters, school bus drivers and teachers to be late arriving to their destinations. The east bound lanes were reopened at about 7 a.m., but the westbound lanes were closed until about 3:30 p.m. A spokesperson from one major company said that the local leaders in Baton Rouge need to start addressing the traffic problems that can be caused by a multi-truck accident on the interstate system.
The cause of the multiple commercial vehicle accident is still undetermined, but early investigations show that a passenger vehicle stopped in the westbound lane of the highway and was hit by an 18-wheeler truck. This caused five more large trucks to crash. All were carrying different cargo, and some had to be unloaded because they had toppled over. Two truck drivers were injured and taken to a hospital with minor to moderate injuries.
People who have been involved in truck accidents often sustain serious injuries that require extensive medical care and treatment, and in some cases they lose income due to an inability to return to work. An attorney representing an injured victim can review accident investigation reports and other evidence in order to determine the party or parties that should bear financial responsibility for the losses that have been sustained.
Source: The New Orleans Advocate, “For school, industry leaders, I-10 crash illustrates how easily region can be paralyzed by traffic problem”, Terry L. Jones, Dec. 8, 2015
