A small town here in Louisiana is mourning the loss of its mayor, who died unexpectedly. He was involved in a two-car accident recently in which he suffered fatal injuries. Four other people were injured in the same crash.
The 65-year-old mayor was a passenger in a westbound car on Louisiana 86 at around 6:40 p.m. As they traveled, a pickup truck was heading toward them from the opposite direction. The pickup crossed over into the path of the car the mayor was in, and the two vehicles collided head-on.
The impact killed the Loreauville mayor and critically injured the driver of the car in which he was riding. That driver, a 62-year-old man, suffered critical injuries and was in the hospital at last report. No further information on his condition was available.
The driver and two passengers in the pickup suffered injuries ranging from minor to moderate. Reports indicate that the juvenile riding in the pickup grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it, which may have been what caused the vehicle to veer into the oncoming lane. So far, the two adults were cited for not being properly restrained, and the juvenile received a citation for obstructing the driver.
In the aftermath of a tragedy such as this, families and victims incur a substantial amount of expenses and other damages. The mayor’s family and the critically injured driver may exercise their rights to file lawsuits in the Louisiana civil courts against the driver of the pickup. A judgment for monetary damages will be considered if the court finds that liability for the car accident has been established by appropriate proof.
Source: theadvocate.com, “Loreauville mayor killed, 4 injured in Friday night crash near New Iberia“, April 5, 2015
