Baton Rouge Personal Injury Attorney Blog

Widespread fallout was most assuredly coming in the wake of the massive 40-vehicle pileup that occurred on a stretch of I-10 in eastern New Orleans in late December of last year.

As we reported in an earlier blog post (January 3, 2012), that chain-collision car accident took the lives of two people and injured scores more. Emergency responders, law enforcement officials and witnesses say that a combination of factors most immediately brought about the crash, especially bad street lighting and poor visibility owing to fog and smoke.

Statistics from a recent study show a higher number of veterans are involved in car accidents after returning from an overseas deployment of duty. Insurance leaders announced a 13 percent increase in the number of car accidents caused by veterans who have been deployed overseas in recent years. The erratic driving pattern has been identified as a symptom of traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Comparatively, and notwithstanding that there were an estimated 710 fatalities from car accidents and other vehicle crashes in Louisiana in 2010, there's not much to dislike regarding the conclusions of a recent national survey on highway safety in the United States.

The survey -- entitled the 2012 Roadmap to State Highway Safety Laws -- is the ninth annual report put out by an organization called Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (AHAS). The group is a broad coalition of entities with a mandate to "work together to advance state and federal highway and vehicle safety laws, programs and policies."

Notwithstanding statements from Novartis that a recent drug recall issued by the pharmaceutical giant is purely precautionary and not associated with any adverse health events, the company is urging consumers in the United States to destroy or return products that have been named in the recall.

The Switzerland-based drug maker announced the recall last Sunday after an internal review of complaints that certain of its pills are broken or chipped inside their bottles or other packaging. Consumers have additionally noted what has been termed "inconsistent bottle packaging," that is, stray capsules, caplets and tablets from other Novartis products.

Ignition interlock devices that detect when a driver has been drinking alcohol may lead to fewer car accidents. Connecticut is the state that most recently adopted mandatory ignition interlock devices for convicted drunk drivers. Louisiana has required the devices after a drunk driver's first offense since 2007.

Drivers who install the device must blow into it to measure their blood alcohol levels before they can get their cars started. Most states make drivers pay to install the devices in their cars. The technology has evolved through the years. Initially, some drivers had their sober friends blow into the devices, enabling them to start their cars and drive after drinking. Recent versions of the device include a camera that records the identity of the person blowing into the interlock to prevent this workaround.

Fingers are being pointed and a number of city officials are quickly stepping forth with both explanatory and exculpatory comments in the wake of the deadly chain-collision car accident that occurred in eastern New Orleans a week ago today.

We reported on that tragic pileup in our immediately preceding blog post and, based on material information that has come forth since the massive crash, update readers here.

Calling it "the worst I've ever seen," a New Orleans tow truck driver fought for the right words to describe the aftermath and fallout of a tremendous traffic pileup that occurred early last Thursday morning on a stretch of I-10 in eastern New Orleans.

It is difficult for authorities to say in the immediate wake of the massive car accident chain reaction what precipitated the collision of nearly 40 vehicles around 4:30 a.m., but poor visibility from fog or smoke was an evident factor.

Commercial truck drivers and fleet owners have retained the established 11-hour driving day after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently announced new regulations via the agency's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

The rule comes after speculation that the hourly limit might be dropped to 10, in an effort to reduce truck accidents. The agency will continue to monitor the accident statistics during the allowed driving time.