Road trips are fun as long as you are rolling along making progress to your destination. Pulling off the highway in an unexpected place can be scary, though. It is fun to stop at the exit where your favorite Waffle House or Cracker Barrel is, but unexpected stops have their perils. For example, when nature calls when the nearest exit is a tiny, unfamiliar town where everyone knows each other, all eyes are on you as you walk to the cluttered restroom of the only gas station, which is separated from the highway by a long, winding road. Even worse is when you must stop to investigate a presumably urgent problem with your car, one that cannot wait until the next exit. To do this, you must pull over on the road shoulder, which can be dangerous if there is a lot of traffic. Everyone who lives in Louisiana or has passed through on a road trip knows that the shoulder of I-10 in Louisiana is dangerously narrow. If you got injured in a car accident because someone hit you or your car while you were stopped on the shoulder, contact a Houma car accident lawyer.
Pickup Truck Strikes Stranded Driver Near I-10 Exit
One morning in January 2025, before sunrise, a man was driving a Volkswagen Jetta in the eastbound lanes of I-10 near Elysian Fields Avenue in New Orleans. He sensed that something was wrong with his car, so he pulled over onto the shoulder on the right side of the road. As he opened the driver-side door to get out of the car, a Ford F-250 pickup truck approached at high speed and struck him. First responders pronounced the driver of the Jetta dead on the scene. As of the news report published on January 19, police had not told journalists the victim’s name or age since his family had only recently been notified and the accident was still under investigation.
The driver of the pickup truck, Jerome Lamar Gross, remained at the scene. When police arrived, they arrested him on suspicion of drunk driving. If Gross, 45, receives criminal charges, he will be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The I-10 Shoulder is Too Skinny, Even When You are Sober
Even if Gross does not get convicted of drunk driving or vehicular manslaughter in connection to this accident, the victim’s family has the right to file a civil lawsuit against him. It is possible for plaintiffs in car accident lawsuits to prevail even if the defendant was acquitted in criminal court or did not face criminal charges. The driver is not the only possible defendant in a car accident case. For example, if dangerous road conditions played a role, the plaintiff could have a case against the parish or city responsible for the road.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Car Accident Cases
A car accident lawyer can help you get the money you need after an accident where a car hit you while you were on the road shoulder. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana, to set up a consultation about your case.
Sources
(985) 313-9791
