Any number of things can take a driver’s attention off Louisiana’s roadways. Even the most diligent drivers can sometimes take their eyes off the road just long enough for the traffic pattern to change, an obstacle to appear or to lose control of the vehicle. When this happens, the results can be catastrophic, and the car accident that results has the potential to be deadly.
The driver of a vehicle involved in a deadly head-on collision that recently occurred admitted to police that he had become distracted right before he lost control of his vehicle. Apparently, as he traveled east on Interstate 20 at approximately 9:10 p.m., something fell onto the floorboard of his vehicle. He bent down to retrieve it, and his knee touched the steering wheel.
At highway speeds, it took no more than that to cause the eastbound vehicle to veer across the median into the westbound lanes of the interstate, directly into the path of another vehicle. The two vehicles collided, killing the driver and rear passenger of the westbound vehicle. The front seat passenger survived the crash but, at last report, remained hospitalized in critical condition with injuries that are not considered to be life-threatening.
Louisiana officials do not believe that either driver was impaired. Charges are still be contemplated in connection with this deadly car accident. Meanwhile, the families of the two deceased victims and the injured victim — whose mother was the rear passenger who died — retain the right to file civil actions against the driver believed responsible for the crash. If the evidence establishes that his negligence was responsible for the injuries — both serious and fatal — of the occupants of the other vehicle, damages could be awarded to help defray the financial losses that were, and will be, incurred because of this tragedy.
Source: shreveporttimes.com, “Update: Names in fatal I-20 accident released“, Feb. 29, 2016
