New Orleans Motor Vehicle Accident Law Blog

The saying goes, if you want something done right - you do it yourself. While this may be true of childhood chores, math homework and getting the kids ready for school, not everything can be done alone. That's why people have friends, family and other trusted people in their corner to help them when times get tough. Times definitely can get tough after suffering injuries in a motorcycle accident.

The sad truth is that many motorcycle accident injuries could have been prevented. Oftentimes, it is auto vehicle driver negligence that causes motorcycle accidents to happen in the first place. It's true that motorcycles are smaller than auto vehicles. However, they have the same right to safety on the road as does anyone else. If an auto vehicle driver wasn't paying attention and was the cause behind a motorcyclist's injuries, this is no excuse.

With injuries and deaths on Louisiana roads continuing to happen everyday, the state has proposed a bill that they believe could increase the safety of people traveling in passenger vehicles. Semi trucks, commercial trucks and 18-wheelers are already subject to lots of laws and regulations that ensure they and those around them are safe. However, these rules and laws have failed to eliminate motor-vehicle injuries and deaths when they are involved in truck accidents. One proposed bill would require Louisiana truck drivers to slow down.

One of Louisiana's state representatives recently filed a bill that would require 18-wheelers to drive 10 miles under the posted speed limit on State highways. He explained that in Baton Rouge specifically, there seem to be a lot of accidents involving large trucks that cause delays and injuries or even death to others. For example, a nasty accident occurred in which a semi-truck rear-ended a dump truck resulted in the death of a woman and caused a man to be badly burned. The state representative thinks slowing down truck drivers could prevent incidences like these from occurring.

When we think about people who operate heavy machinery, it is hoped above all else that these people value safety. Since heavy machinery can cause injury quickly and without prior warning, a safe and aware operator can have a profound affect on the outcome of a machine malfunction. This theory applies to those that operate semi-trucks or tractor-trailers. These are considered heavy machinery even though they are an everyday occurrence in the average person's day.

Truck accidents can be catastrophic to those it affects. There can be many reasons for a truck accident, but one of these potential causes behind a truck accident injury is a distracted truck driver. There are numerous ways a truck driver could become distracted but common causes include fatigue, inattention to speed and inability to keep track of the traffic around the rig. If a truck driver was not properly trained, it may be even easier for them to become distracted while driving the rig.

Louisiana, and New Orleans specifically are known around the world for a few things. One of those things is Mardi Gras, the annual party that brings locals and tourists alike to the streets of New Orleans to celebrate. This Mardi Gras, the party took a terrifying turn when a pickup truck crashed into a crowd of party goers. The city's police have released the driver's blood alcohol level at the time of the crash.

According to police reports and witness testimony, the man who is accused of driving carelessly into a crowd of people and injuring 28 people had a BAC of .232 at the time of the crash. This is nearly 3 times the legal limit of .08 and puts him in danger of not only civil suits but also criminal action by authorities. As of now, the driver has been charged with reckless driving and hit-and-run driving which are first-degree vehicular negligence charges. It is likely more will follow as the investigation continues to develop.