At around 11:00 p.m. on December 24, a single-vehicle crash on Lousiana Highway 308 in Lafourche Parish killed a 34-year-old woman from Raceland. According to the investigation, a 2002 Lincoln LS, driven by a 33-year-old Raceland man, was traveling north on the highway when it drove off the right side of the road and onto Rodriguez Drive, where the vehicle struck a driveway. Apparently, the angle of the crash led the vehicle to become airborne before striking two utility poles.

The driver was thrown out of the vehicle and was brought to Terrebonne General Medical Center after sustaining non-life threatening injuries. His passenger, the 34-year-old woman, sustained serious injuries and was taken to St. Anne Hospital for treatment. She was set to be transferred to University Medical Center in New Orleans due to the serious nature of her injuries, but she died on the way.

It is unknown whether the driver was intoxicated at the time of the accident, but he submitted to a blood test and results are pending at the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab.

According to a report by the New Orleans Advocate, a former New Orleans policeman and investigator died on December 5 following a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 12 east of La. 1088.

The investigators of the accident said that the 69-year-old former police officer, who was a resident of Covington, was driving westbound when his pickup truck was hit from behind by a Toyota Corolla driven by Sloan, New York resident John Joseph Gold. The former policeman’s vehicle drove off the right side of the road, overturned, and struck several trees. The officer was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident and was thrown from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gold’s vehicle hit a cable barrier, but he was uninjured. He submitted to a breath test, but no trace of alcohol was found. He was cited for careless operation, and further investigation into the circumstances of the collision is ongoing.

A two-vehicle accident on Interstate 10 near Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge took the life of a young couple and their infant son at around 3:00 in the morning on November 28. The authorities said that the 56-year-old driver of a Freightliner box truck was traveling west on I-10 when he pulled onto the right shoulder of the interstate to make a phone call.

Upon re-entering the right traffic lane, he was struck from behind by a Ford F-150 driven by a 20-year-old man. The passenger of the Ford, a 22-year-old woman, suffered critical injuries and died at the scene. Their 2-month-old son, who was in a child seat facing rear, was brought to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center after sustaining serious injuries. He died later of his injuries.

The 56-year-old box truck driver suffered minor injuries and voluntarily took a breath test. No trace of alcohol was found.

The accident is still under investigation.

Louisiana law generally only permits accident victims a single calender year to file a claim against the party responsible for their accident. That being said, you should consider taking legal action as soon after the accident as you are able to do so. Our legal team in Baton Rouge understands that this is probably a difficult time for you and your family right now, and we can help you take the action necessary to put this legal matter behind you once and for all.

If you or a loved one was injured in a catastrophic accident, you should consult with one of the catastrophic personal injury attorneys at Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm about what legal actions may be available for you to pursue at this time. To speak with a personal injury attorney in Louisiana about the particulars of your accident, please call our Baton Rouge offices at (225) 650-7400 today.

As a parent, your priority is and will always be the well-being of your children. However, as diligent and careful as you are, you may not always be able to protect your children from dangerous drivers on the road. Fortunately, knowing how to properly secure your child in your vehicle and what to do in the event that an accident does occur may keep your child or children from suffering further harm.

Seat belts are the number one vehicle safety feature responsible for saving lives. A study in 2012 by the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that over 12,000 children’s lives were saved due to seat belt usage in a single year. This figure is important in understanding that children require car seats, booster seats, and seat belts to be truly safe within a vehicle. Following directions to appropriately secure your child’s car seat or booster seat is also an essential part of protecting your child in the unfortunate event of a crash.

If the unfortunate should happen and your children are in your car when an accident occurs, immediately remove yourself from the vehicle, if it is safe for you to do so, and check on your child. It is generally advised to minimally move or touch your children until medical professionals are on the scene if the accident was severe. Minor and moderate accidents may require your children to be examined by an emergency room physician or their pediatrician to ensure no damage was done. Furthermore, any car seats that were in the car, with or without an occupant, should be immediately replaced. Much like helmets, sustaining substantial impact can cause them to fail in the event of a second accident.

Nobody wants to think about being involved in a car accident. However, thinking ahead and having a well-stocked roadside emergency kit can save you from some of the stress that can result after an automobile accident. Even the safest drivers on the road should make sure to have a roadside emergency kit handy so that they can deal with any unforeseen and unexpected problems that arise.

Unfortunately, having this kit and being a cautious driver won’t guarantee protection from sustaining injuries due to another’s negligence. If you have been involved in a car accident caused by another party, contact the Baton Rouge car accident lawyers of the Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm at (225) 650-7400 today.

Roadside Emergency Kit Essentials

Whether you’re heading off on a long trip or just driving to the store, make sure you have these items close at hand:

• Cell phone – this allows you to make emergency calls and contact roadside assistance if no one is around to help
• Jumper cables – car batteries die from time to time and need to be jump-started, and having jumper cables also lets you be a good Samaritan and help other drivers in need
• Flashlight – whether you’re in an accident at night or you need to see under the hood, having a flashlight nearby is always a good idea
• Blanket or poncho – this will keep you warm and dry in case you get caught outside in severe weather
• First aid kit – in the event of an accident, this will help you treat minor injuries
• Basic toolbox – even if you don’t know how to make small repairs to your vehicle, a passing driver might
• Food and water – if you have ever had a multiple hour wait for a tow truck in the middle of nowhere, you know how important this is
• Reflective warning triangles or emergency flares – these help to warn other drivers of your presence on the shoulder and helps the tow truck find your vehicle
• Pen and paper – an absolute necessity for writing down the contact and insurance information of the other motorists who were involved in the accident, as well as witnesses’ names and contact information

Contact a Car Accident Attorney in Baton Rouge Today

Even the most prepared drivers are occasionally involved in accidents through no fault of their own. If you were injured due to another’s recklessness, you shouldn’t have to bear the cost of your recovery alone. Call one of the Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm’s car accident attorneys at (225) 650-7400 today to learn more about how to pursue compensation.

Baton Rouge police officials are investigating a traffic accident resulting in the death of a man attempting to change a flat tire on his van on Sept. 11. The motorist was struck while on the side of Louisiana Highway 42, also known as Burbank Drive.

The victim was identified and reported to be 80-years-old. He had parked his Toyota Sienna on the shoulder of the expressway. As he was changing his tire, he was struck when another driver lost control of his vehicle while maneuvering a curve in the road.

The incident resulted in the death of the man on the side of the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The condition of the other driver is unreported. Charges are pending and an investigation is ongoing for further causes of the accident.

Reckless drivers present a danger to other motorists on the road as well as pedestrians in the area. If you or someone you know was injured in a car accident due to the negligent and dangerous driving behaviors of another driver, contact the Baton Rouge personal injury attorneys at the Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, damage to your vehicle, and lost wages as a result of injuries. Please call (225) 650-7400 today for more information on how our practice can help you.

General Motors’ decision to hire attorney Kenneth Feinberg as a consultant regarding the company’s response to the families of victims of their faulty ignition switch has inadvertently led to the linking of 124 deaths to the defect, rather than the 13 deaths GM originally claimed to have known about. Feinberg, tasked with guiding the company through this delicate issue, reviewed over 4,000 claims of death or injury related to the recalled ignition and, after rejecting 91 percent of those claims, found that there were ten times as many deaths caused by the faulty ignition switch in GM vehicles than was previously thought.

Out of 399 claims found to be legitimate: 124 were from families of victims who died; 17 were from victims who suffered quadriplegia, paraplegia, double amputation, permanent brain damage, or extensive burns; and 258 were from victims who were hospitalized or given outpatient treatment within 48 hours of their accidents.

News of the additional claims comes at a bad time for GM, when the U.S. Justice Department is closing in on a decision regarding whether criminal charges will be levied against the company for its failure to act after first discovering the defective switch back in 2001.

It would appear that the company has attempted to make amends for the catastrophic level of damage caused by their defective vehicles; GM has earmarked $625 million for payment to the victims and their families, and this past June saw CEO Mary Barra fire 15 employees whom the company accused of failing to aggressively seek solutions to the disastrous problem. The company issued a major recall in 2014, but apparently knew of the defect in 2001, before their affected vehicles ever hit the market.