The Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeals clarified the standard of care to be used in medical malpractice cases involving hospitals and their employees. In Crockham v. Thompson, the Second Circuit ruled that hospitals should be held to a national standard of care in actions for medical malpractice. The Second…
A barge carrying more than 80,000 gallons of oil hit a railroad bridge Sunday near Vicksburg, spilling oil into the Mississippi River. A second barge was also damaged following the accident. No injuries were reported, and authorities are investigating the cause of the accident. By its very nature, maritime work…
In the weeks following the tragic New York City ferry crash, survivors and their families have filed lawsuits against the ferry’s operator under maritime law. More than 70 people were injured in the accident, and several victims remain in intensive care. A new National Transportation Safety Board report details the…
Toyota will pay $1.1 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by millions of car owners. In the suit, car owners alleged they suffered economic loss from negative publicity associated with reports of sudden unintended acceleration in their Toyota and Lexus vehicles. This lawsuit is one of the first class…
With reports of four train accidents in two months, the holiday season exposed the dangers and risks of rail travel. In Texas, a freight train tragically crashed into a Veterans Day parade, killing four veterans and injuring 16. A week later, another commercial train derailed in New Jersey when a…
A Shreveport man struck a horse on his motorcycle when the horse suddenly sprinted in front of the man’s motorcycle on a highway. Both the man and the horse died in the accident. Authorities continue to search for the identity of the horse’s owner. Animals can cause several different types…
A private plane collided into an SUV driving on an airport’s service road in Roanoke, Texas during the pilot’s first solo landing. Both the plane’s pilot and the vehicle’s driver and passenger suffered no life-threatening injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the accident. This accident is…
The Louisiana State Police reported thirteen fatal crashes in Louisiana over the Thanksgiving holiday week. The accidents tragically resulted in fourteen deaths. Two crashes were caused by driver impairment and one crash involved a motorcycle and a pedestrian. Louisiana law takes a harsh stance on drunk driving. This past legislative…
An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and caught fire off the coast of Grand Isle, tragically killing three workers. Out of twenty-four workers on the platform at the time of the explosion, four workers also suffered serious burns. One worker who suffered severe burns died after the…
At least 140 vehicles collided on Interstate 10 in southeast Texas in thick fog Thanksgiving morning, killing two people and injuring more than 80. The two people who died were tragically crushed by an 18-wheeler in their SUV. Due to the dense fog, officers at the scene were initially unable…