Two men tragically lost their lives on Christmas Eve after a two-vehicle accident in Metairie, according to authorities. Louisiana State Police responded to the crash, which claimed the lives of a 32-year-old man and a 28-year-old man. Charges have not been filed at this time, but as with many car accidents on state highways, this case is still under investigation.
According to the police report, it appears the 32-year-old was driving his pickup truck westbound on a collector road for Interstate 10 when the accident occurred. For reasons that have yet to be determined, his vehicle suddenly swerved to the right, side-swiping an SUV traveling in the same direction. The man lost control of his vehicle, causing it to strike a bridge support before overturning.
The force of the impact killed the driver as well as his 28-year-old passenger. It is unclear whether they were wearing seat belts at the time of the impact, but they were pronounced dead on the scene by coroners. The driver and two passengers in the SUV were all wearing seat belts and were apparently uninjured in the collision. The driver of the SUV has been cleared of any suspicion of DUI, but it is unknown whether the deceased driver was impaired. An autopsy will be conducted, which will clarify this issue.
Even if the deceased driver, who appears to have contributed most materially to the crash, is found to have been sober, it may still be possible for the family of the deceased passenger to take action against his estate. In car accidents causing fatalities, wrongful death lawsuits can still be filed in Louisiana court if the offending driver dies in the crash. His estate, and anyone else with ownership interest in the vehicle involved, may be sued for wrongful death.
