Every driver on the Louisiana roadways is expected to follow the traffic laws of the state. This includes obeying all traffic signals. One driver who allegedly violated these laws is accused of causing a two-vehicle crash that lead to five injured persons and one death.
The car accident occurred on February 15, 2015. The driver of a 2001 GMC Yukon allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Louisiana Highway 429 and Airline Highway. The Yukon collided with a 2013 Nissan Altima. The driver of the Altima, along with four other people, were injured in the accident. The Altima driver ultimately died from his injuries.
The driver that allegedly caused the accident has been charged with several offenses this past week. The charges include negligent homicide, three counts of negligent injuring, one count of speeding and one count of traffic control signals. The state of Louisiana is a comparative negligence state. This means that a percentage of liability is assigned to each person involved in the accident. Payments for damages are made based on these percentages.
There are two types of comparative negligence. Pure comparative negligence means that a plaintiff’s compensation is computed and then reduced based on his or her own contribution to the injury. Modified comparative negligence determines that a plaintiff will not recover anything if found to be equally or more negligent than the other party. Louisiana is a pure comparative negligence state. Anyone who has been injured in a car accident may want to seek the advice of an attorney to protect their interests.
Source: The Times Picayune, “Prairieville woman booked in fatal crash in Gonzales,” Quincy Hodges, June 8, 2015
