We all know that driving under the influence of alcohol can kill, but we rarely think about what we lose when someone dies an untimely death in a preventable accident. If you have the good fortune to reach adulthood while your grandparents are still alive, you know that they will not be around forever, but if they are killed in a car accident, the loss hurts as much as it would if the victims had been younger.
Furthermore, especially here in Louisiana, grandparents are a focus of family ties. Extended families often remain together largely due to the efforts of the older generation. Without them, the remaining family members must work even harder to maintain their strong bonds with relatives outside their immediate family. The surviving family members of people killed in drunk driving accidents have the right to seek compensation by filing a civil lawsuit, regardless of the age of the victims. If you have been injured in a car accident where alcohol was a contributing factor, contact a Houma car accident lawyer.
A Family Tragedy That Follows Closely on Another
Until 2025, everything was going well for Hubert and Victoria Gauthreaux. They had children and grandchildren. Hubert worked at Tulane University until 2016, and after he retired, he and Victoria moved to Mississippi, but they drove to Gretna every weekend for family gatherings. In the early hours of January 1, 2025, their grandson, also named Hubert after his grandfather, was killed in the Bourbon Street attack.
Several weeks later, Hubert and Victoria were visiting their family in Gretna, as they frequently did. They attended a Tulane University football game with their daughter and then stopped in Gretna for dinner. When they parked outside the restaurant, their daughter got out of the car first. While Hubert and Victoria were still inside the car, a car approached at high speed and crashed into their car and two others that were parallel parked on the street. Hubert and Victoria were both killed.
The driver of the car that hit them, Stephan Juarez, is being charged with drunk driving resulting in death. It is his second DWI offense. At the time of the accident, his license was suspended because of a previous DWI conviction. Police suspect that, in addition to alcohol, he was also under the influence of cannabis at the time of the accident. The Gauthreaux family has the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit in civil court regardless of the outcome of the criminal case against Juarez. The families of drunk driving accident victims have the right to file civil lawsuits even if the drunk driver does not face criminal charges or if the court drops the charges against the drunk driver early in the process.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Personal Injury Cases
A personal injury lawyer can help you if you were injured in a drunk driving accident. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana, to set up a consultation about your case.
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