In 1984, a natural gas pipeline exploded in the parish of West Feliciana resulting in death and destruction to people and property. The pipeline was owned and operated by Texas Eastern and Clarkco was performing work on the pipeline. The pipeline was on Mrs. Winters’ property and Clarkco sued Mrs.…
Articles Posted in Negligence
Hit-and-run Incident Illustrates Civil and Criminal Trial Issues
Fleeing the scene of an escalating argument, a driver injured two persons when he ran over them with his car. The incident happened in Minden on February 7, as reported by Jana Ryan. Local authorities believed the victims were merely bystanders and were not part of the argument. After brandishing…
Looking Back at Toyota Recall: Product Liability Explained
Policy makers have expressed doubt multiple times this year about whether enough is being done to protect the millions of drivers on the road. The recent Toyota recall of a multitude of cars with defective parts is a clear illustration of product liability and the measures to which a manufacturer…
Cautionary Tale of Boy Left on School Bus Helps Explain Negligence Cases
Some time ago in Louisiana a young Reserve boy fell asleep on his school bus and awoke to find himself alone in the parking lot of the St. John the Baptist Parish School District central office. The upset kindergarten student stumbled into a school board meeting in progress and interrupted…
Toyota Has Reportedly Been Able to Duplicate Acceleration Problems
According to a recent ABC News report, court documents from a class-action lawsuit against that has been filed against Toyota claim that the company is in possession of documents that show that the automaker documented confirmed cases of sudden acceleration without driver error as many as 7 years ago. Other…
New Orleans Hit-and-Run Case Turns on Witness Testimony
As most motorists are aware, Louisiana law requires that the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident must stop the vehicle at the scene, give his or her identity, and provide reasonable aid to anyone who may be injured as a result of the crash. La. R.S. 14:100. The…
Tioga Slip and Fall Case Study Part 2: The Importance of Expert Witnesses
Several prior posts have examined the critical role that expert witnesses can play in a personal injury lawsuit. The Peoples v. Fred’s Stores of Tennessee, Inc., No. 09-1270 (Ct. App. of La., 3d Cir. 2010) case offers a similar example of how expert testimony can be invaluable to a plaintiff.…
Tioga Slip and Fall Case Study Part 1: The Plaintiff’s Burden of Proving Notice
In a previous post, we explored the elements of a negligence action that arose after a customer slipped and fell on a pool of vomit left by another customer while visiting a store in Farmerville. One of those elements is “notice,” or whether the merchant created or was aware of…
Louisiana Appeals Finds Unreasonably Dangerous Condition in Premises Liability Case
Jeanine Pryor of Lake Charles was injured when she fell exiting bleachers at a football came and filed a claim for damages due to injuries she sustained. Her claim was denied at the trial court level and in a recent decision, the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the…
Proving Causation Takes More than Just Possibilities
Sometimes one plus one does not equal two. This was a lesson learned by the Living Epistle Church after a suit against the City of Shreveport. The church sued the city for damages to its sanctuary building, which was allegedly caused by a leaking sewer main. The trial judge heard…