A Baton Rouge, Louisiana senior citizen was killed in a September 3, 2009 car accident on Jefferson Highway near its intersection with Airline Highway when she turned left into the path of an oncoming vehicle. It was initially presumed that the senior citizen was completely at fault in causing the accident, but further investigation revealed that the oncoming motorist was exceeding the posted speed limit. Because speed, and not the improper left turn, was determined to be the main factor in the car crash because the senior citizen would have been able to complete her turn if the oncoming motorist had been driving the speed limit, the speeding motorist was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count of reckless operation of a vehicle and one count of negligent homicide.
According to Baton Rouge, Louisiana injury attorney, Scott Andrews, of the Louisiana personal injury law firm of Dué Guidry Piedrahita Andrews Courrege L.C., “all too often the investigating police officer assumes that when a car accident occurs involving a left turning motorist, that the left turning motorist must be at fault and no further investigation is conducted.” Fortunately for the family of the senior citizen killed in the Jefferson Highway automobile accident, the police continued their investigation and uncovered the truth–that the auto accident was avoidable had the oncoming motorist been acting reasonably.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or suffered a wrongful death in a car wreck while making a left turn, contact the experienced Louisiana injury lawyers at Dué Guidry Piedrahita Andrews Courrege L.C. to schedule a free consultation. We will investigate the potential causes of the car accident and will help you determine if the oncoming driver shares some responsibility for causing the accident by speeding, failing to apply brakes, failing to take proper and reasonable evasive action, or for some other reason.