The collisions most likely to result in fatalities are head-on collisions, where a car crosses the center lane and strikes the front of an approaching vehicle. It is not only the angle of collision that makes this type of accident so deadly; drivers do not usually cross the center lane and plow into oncoming traffic unless they are drunk or driving so fast that they lose control of the car. Rear-end collisions are a more common scenario, and they usually are not catastrophic. The occupants of the front vehicle usually sustain worse injuries than the occupants of the rear vehicle. Fault for rear end collisions belongs to the rear driver if they were being careless and failed to slow down or stop when traffic laws require this, but the front driver is at fault if he or she posed a sudden obstacle by stopping suddenly or driving slowly in front of the rear driver, making it difficult for the rear driver to avoid a collision. If you got injured in a rear-end collision, contact a Houma car accident lawyer.
How Bad Can it Be if Another Car Pulls in Front of You, Causing a Rear-End Collision?
During the morning rush hour on a day in March 2025, Destiny Lacoste was driving her Ford F-250 on Interstate 59 in St. Tammany Parish. Her young daughter was in the car with her, in a child safety seat in the back seat. Allen Martel was driving his Kia Telluride in front of Lacoste’s vehicle, and he attempted to make an illegal turn, causing a collision between the Ford and the Kia.
That collision ended up with the Martel’s Kia stopped in the median and Lacoste’s Ford stopped in the northbound lanes, but it did not result in serious injuries. Lacoste then got out of her disabled vehicle to examine the damage and to call for help, but another car struck her, fatally injuring her. She was 26 years old. Lacoste’s daughter, whose name and age reports did not specify, was hospitalized after the collision, but her injuries were not life-threatening.
The news report published several days after the accident said that the occupants of the Ford F-250 that struck Lacoste after the first accident disabled her vehicle were wearing seatbelts and that they were not injured. The report said that toxicology reports were still pending, so it was still unclear whether either of the drivers who collided with Lacoste’s car was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Even if no one gets criminal charges for the accident, or if they are charged but not convicted, Lacoste’s family has the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit in civil court.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Personal Injury Cases
A personal injury lawyer can help you if you were injured when your car rear-ended a vehicle that suddenly pulled in front of you. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana, to set up a consultation about your case.
(985) 313-9791
