Wrong-Way Crash on I-10 in Acadia Parish Leads to Three Fatalities

When you took driver’s ed before getting a driver’s license, you probably learned some scary statistics about the speeds at which motor vehicle collisions are and are not survivable. In reality, though, it is not quite that simple. The speed that the vehicles were traveling at the time of impact is only one of the factors that determine the chances of surviving a traffic accident. The angle at which the vehicles collide also plays a role, and head-on collisions are some of the worst; the statistics you heard in driver’s ed class most likely involved head-on collisions.  

It also matters whether or not the occupants of the vehicle were wearing seatbelts. Wearing a seatbelt greatly increases the likelihood of survival and may reduce the severity of injuries. In fact, once seatbelts became a standard feature in passenger cars, the rate of traffic fatalities steadily declined as more and more people involved in car accidents were wearing them. Drivers without seatbelts continue to be disproportionately represented among car accident victims. For example, in a recent multi-vehicle accident on I-10 in Louisiana, the victims were not wearing seatbelts. If you have suffered serious injuries in a head-on collision, contact a Houma, Louisiana car accident lawyer.

Four-Vehicle Pile-Up in the Westbound Lanes of I-10

Late in the evening on April 10, a car was traveling east in the westbound lanes of I-10 in Acadia Parish, near mile marker 81. It collided head-on with a car that was traveling west. Shortly after the initial impact, a Ford F-250 that was also traveling west was unable to avoid striking one of the vehicles. The collision also caused debris to strike a nearby 18-wheeler.

Details about the multi-vehicle crash emerged after an investigation during which the westbound lanes of I-10. State Police identified the victims as Derrell W. Smith, Jr. of Lake Charles, Kelsie Murphy of Crowley, and Sadie Fontenot of Eunice. Two of them were drivers of the vehicles that collided head-on, and one was a passenger in one of those vehicles. All of the victims were in their 20s, and none of them were wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision.

Another passenger in one of the vehicles that collided head-on, and that passenger was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The drivers of the Ford F-250 and the 18-wheeler were also wearing seatbelts, and they did not suffer injuries serious enough to require hospitalization.   

Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Multi-Vehicle Car Accidents

A car accident lawyer can help you if you got injured in a multi-vehicle pile-up, whether or not yours was one of the vehicles involved in the initial impact and no matter from which angle your car got hit. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana to see if you have grounds for a lawsuit.