A tragic accident recently claimed the lives of a woman, her unborn twins and her 7-year-old son. According to Louisiana authorities in St. John The Baptist Parish, the crash happened in the morning of Feb. 24 on Interstate 10. As with most car accidents, police are carefully reviewing the crash to determine whether criminal charges will be filed against the surviving driver.
According to the report, it appears the 27-year-old woman was headed eastbound with her 7-year-old son in the car around 11:52 a.m. when the accident happened. At this point, her vehicle was rear-ended by a pickup truck carrying a passenger and his 3-year-old son. The passenger and the child were both hurt in the crash and taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Unfortunately, the woman and her son were both pronounced dead. The woman had been carrying twins at the time of the accident, and the report did not mention when they were due to be born. The driver of the pickup truck was not hurt in the crash. Police do not suspect impairment as a factor in this accident, but they have arranged for a toxicology scan regardless. The driver has not yet been charged with a crime.
Charges could still be forthcoming; as with many car accidents, a single piece of evidence can change the scope of a case from documenting a tragedy to investigating a crime. Even if no charges are filed by Louisiana authorities, however, state law allows their family to file wrongful death claims against the driver in civil court. Any evidence police gathered to document the driver’s material responsibility in the crash can be offered to support such a claim in civil court.