Nationwide, alcohol is a factor in about a third of all car accidents that involve fatalities, but in Louisiana, almost half of all fatal traffic accidents involve drunk drivers. You can blame it on Louisiana’s relatively lax drinking laws, its poorly maintained roads, or the unavoidable fact that Louisiana is the most fun place to drink. No matter the details of the accident, the relevant laws are the same. People who get injured in car accidents have the right to file a lawsuit against any of the parties responsible for the accident. In the case of drunk driving accidents, that can mean suing the drunk driver who crashed into your car, or the owner of the car that the drunk person was driving, if they are not the same person. Sometimes, people injured in DWI accidents even have grounds for a dram shop liability claim, where the people injured by a drunk driver sue the bar where the driver got drunk; even the drunk drivers themselves have the right to sue bars that served alcohol irresponsibly for dram shop liability. If a passenger who was riding with a drunk driver gets injured when the driver causes a single-vehicle crash, the passenger has the right to sue the driver. If you got injured in a single-vehicle accident where alcohol was a factor, contact a Houma car accident lawyer.
Passenger Dies in Single Vehicle Collision in Bienville Parish
On December 6, Tanner Hill of New Port Richey, Florida, went out for a night on the town in his 2020 Chevrolet Silverado, with Natalie Waller of Bastrop as a passenger. While they were traveling north on Louisiana Highway 155, Hill lost control of the car, and it veered off the road, striking a tree.
When first responders arrived, they pronounced Waller dead at the scene. She was 27 years old. Hill sustained minor injuries that did not require admission to the hospital. Both Hill and Waller were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.
The police who responded to the accident and the medical personnel who examined Hill believe that he was under the influence at the time of the accident, but when the most recent news reports were published, the accident was still under investigation.
Hill is facing criminal charges for vehicular homicide. If tests show that he was under the influence of alcohol, he could also get charges for DWI resulting in death. Regardless of the outcome of the criminal case against Hill, Waller’s surviving relatives have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit in civil court. If the defendant is convicted of vehicular homicide in criminal court, the civil case automatically results in a ruling for the plaintiff, but if the defendant is acquitted or pleads no contest, then the outcome of the civil case could go either way.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Personal Injury Cases
A personal injury lawyer can help you if one of your family members was killed in a DWI accident. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana, to set up a consultation about your case.
Sources
(985) 313-9791
