Louisiana State Police have reported that three men have been taken into custody in connection with a fatal hit-and-run accident that took place on April 6. The accident claimed the life of a 53-year-old man. The 20-year-old Bourg man believed to have been behind the wheel has been charged with felony hit and run and obstruction of justice, and his two passengers, an 18-year-old Valen Billot man and a 20-year-old Houma resident, are also facing obstruction charges for allegedly providing false information to police officers investigating the incident.
The fatal hit-and-run accident took place on Louisiana Highway 24 in Houma at approximately 11:30 p.m. The LSP say that a southbound pickup truck failed to stop after striking a male pedestrian in the vicinity of Lions Court. The Terrebonne Parish Coroner pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene.
Police say that they were able to track down the pickup truck and its occupants after speaking with witnesses and studying surveillance footage recorded at a nearby gas station. Police scrutinized the video footage after receiving reports that the vehicle had been observed at a truck stop about a mile north of the accident scene.
Those who are injured in a hit-and-run accident, or the dependent family members of those killed, may pursue civil remedies when law enforcement apprehends the driver responsible, but these cases often remain unsolved. In these situations, personal injury attorneys may help accident victims to file a claim under the uninsured motorist provisions of their auto insurance policies. These provisions may apply even if the policy holder is on foot at the time of an accident. When hit-and-run accident victims have no other means of obtaining compensation, attorneys could help them to file a claim with the Louisiana Crime Victims Reparations Fund.
