Articles Posted in Auto Accidents

In early 2025, Blake R. David and Jerome H. Moroux secured more than $50 million in jury verdicts across three catastrophic injury trials. These results highlight the firm’s litigation success and its unwavering commitment to advocating for clients whose lives have been permanently altered by devastating accidents and catastrophic injury. While the nature and extent of the injuries varied, our team’s mission remained the same: seek justice for those in need who have entrusted us with the trajectory of their lives.

Blake R. David led two of the trials in close collaboration with referral counsel, a testament to the firm’s ability partner effectively with other attorneys to maximize outcomes for injured clients.

In April, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana unanimously awarded more than $38 million to a client who suffered a traumatic brain injury and a leg amputation following a head-on collision with a commercial truck. Just over a week earlier, a jury in the 12th Judicial District Court (Marksville – Avoyelles Parish) unanimously returned a $11.4 million judgment for two clients seriously injured in a car accident, both with surgery recommendations as a result (that has already been affirmed by the trial court).

Back in the spring of 2022, our client was driving down Moss Street in Lafayette Parish when another driver blew through a stop sign, crashing into his car.

Our client, a military veteran and dedicated family man, began to experience persistent neck and back pain just two weeks after the crash. He started physical therapy, hopeful it would provide relief. When it didn’t, he underwent a cervical epidural injection. Still, the pain didn’t let up. Eventually, doctors performed a two-level cervical fusion, which was an invasive procedure aimed at easing his suffering. His physician warned that another surgery might be necessary down the road.

Attorney Jerome H. Moroux stepped in to represent this veteran, who, despite living with chronic pain, continued working to support his family.

 In September 2021, a motor vehicle collision occurred in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, involving a fire engine and a civilian vehicle. On that date, our client was lawfully operating her vehicle on Louisiana Highway 51 in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. At the same time, Shaun Roach was operating a fire engine while responding to a grass fire.
As the fire engine approached Louisiana Highway 51, its driver activated the lights and sirens. The fire engine attempted to make a left turn onto Highway 51 but failed to yield to oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, the driver entered the path of our client’s vehicle, resulting in a violent crash that left her with serious injuries.

Initially, our client was placed at fault for the accident and cited by the local investigating law enforcement agency. The defense argued that Louisiana’s emergency vehicle statute (LSA-R.S. 32:24(D) applied, protecting the fire department from liability due to the emergency response. However, our team of attorneys on the Northshore worked quickly to uncover the facts and fight for her rights.

As 2025 begins, many of us take a moment to reflect on our achievements, challenges, and goals for the upcoming year. While it’s important to look ahead, we should also take a step back and consider the unresolved issues from last year that might still be affecting us—especially when it comes to personal injury claims.

Whether you’ve been in a car accident, suffered a slip-and-fall, or experienced a workplace or off-shore injury, time is of the essence. If you have an injury claim that hasn’t been resolved, now is the time to act. The new year presents an opportunity for a fresh start and a path toward recovery.

Last year, the Louisiana Legislature made several changes affecting your right to bring a claim for injuries. The statute of limitations—which is the legal deadline for filing a personal injury claim—was changed for some claims. This deadline may differ depending on the type of claim and date of injury. If you miss this deadline, you could forever lose your right to recover compensation for your injuries and losses.

A 51-year-old hotel manager was driving to work in when she stopped at a red right and was rear-ended by a company F-150 pickup truck. The defendants accepted liability but disputed the medical causation of the personal injury claims based on the lack of significant property damage. To support their case, the defendants hired two accident reconstructionist and a biomechanical expert.

Broussard, David & Moroux personal injury attorneys, Blake David and Reed Ellis represented the plaintiff. Prior to the car accident, she had no history of back, neck, or hip issues or treatment in the past 15 years, and experienced neck, back, left wrist, mid-back, and jaw pain within hours of the crash. Dr. Robert Lejeune, a chiropractor, documented these injuries.

Over time, her condition worsened, requiring multiple surgeries on her neck, back, and hip. In response, the defendants hired four Additional Medical Examiners to challenge her claims, arguing that the injuries were temporary, lasting six weeks or less. The defendants also planned to present radiologists who would refute the injuries.

While most travel-related accidents may result in minor injuries, some can lead to catastrophic injuries that permanently change a person’s life. Catastrophic injuries typically involve severe, life-threatening harm to the body and can include:

  • Spinal Cord Injuries: These injuries often lead to paralysis or loss of sensation and mobility below the site of the injury.
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI): A TBI can range from a mild concussion to a severe brain injury that impairs cognitive function, speech, motor skills, and memory.

On November 12, 2020, an Acadia Parish farmer and his employee started a fire in a soybean field bordered by Louisiana Highway 97/Evangeline Highway, a two-lane highway with one northbound lane and one southbound lane. As the fire burned, it created a heavy smoke which blew into the roadway and completely blocked visibility for drivers travelling in both directions. The farmer and his employee admitted in their depositions that they took no precautions to prevent the smoke from obstructing the roadway.
At the time the smoke blocked the view of drivers on La. 97, plaintiff was travelling northbound towards the area of the fire. As plaintiff approached the area, the smoke suddenly became so thick that she could no longer see in front of her and she stopped in the road. At the same time, two cars were traveling southbound towards the area where plaintiff’s vehicle stopped. When the lead car arrived at the area where the smoke blocked her visibility, she stopped suddenly, forcing the following southbound vehicle to cross the centerline and crash head-on into plaintiff’s vehicle.
As the result of the collision, the 32-year old plaintiff sustained injuries to her neck and back. She was taken via ambulance to emergency room with complaints of pain to her entire back, “from neck down to lower back.”

October 2023 witnessed a tragic 158-vehicle pileup on I-55 in Louisiana, triggered by dense fog. This incident highlights a troubling trend: October is often the month with the highest number of car accidents. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identifies the summer months as the “100 Deadliest Days,” October’s unique challenges can’t be overlooked.

Several factors contribute to the rise in fatal auto-accidents this time of year. As days shorten, driving after dark becomes more common, increasing the likelihood of accidents. Additionally, wet leaves and unpredictable weather can create hazardous driving conditions.

To help you navigate fall safely, consider these tips:

Attorneys Derek Aswell from our Lafayette office and John Alford from our Covington office joined forces to represent a sixty-year-old engineer who was injured on a vessel. Their combined expertise and resources resulted in a $1.5 million settlement for our client three days into jury trial.

The plaintiff, a newly employed engineer, was assigned to grease the anchor on the bow of a vessel during a night shift. While performing his duties, he slipped and fell on the grating that covered the anchor hole which caused a neck and spinal cord injury. As a new employee (but a long-time engineer on vessels), he was unfamiliar with the ship’s layout. He testified that the deck was cluttered with rope, and the grating was ill-fitted and dilapidated, which contributed to his fall.

Derek and John uncovered evidence that, within a week of the plaintiff’s employment, a fire in the engine room had disabled the ship’s electricity. Although temporary lighting was provided in some areas of the ship, there was no active lighting on the bow, which further contributed to the hazardous conditions and his unwitnessed fall         . Defendant argued he had the experience to stop work if he thought it was unsafe.

On June 12, 2020, our client was on his delivery route as a local beverage distributor in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, when his work vehicle was rear-ended by another truck which pushed him into the stopped car immediately in front of him. As a result, he sustained significant physical and mental injuries, including a documented traumatic brain injury, resulting in ongoing psychotherapy, medication dependency, and injection therapy.

Before the incident, the plaintiff was a healthy father and husband with goals to advance his career into upper management. Though he continued to work at a reduced capacity with the same employer, his treating physicians concluded that he was permanently impaired from this crash and required job accommodations and substantial future medical care.

Blake and Reed remained steadfast in their pursuit of justice for our client, meticulously gathering the evidence needed to build our client’s case. Their efforts ultimately led to a settlement of policy limits of $2 million before mediation or trial. The firm takes great pride in meeting our clients where they are and assisting them during difficult times. Service is one of the firm’s core values, and that service is epitomized by the selflessness and dedication shown by our attorneys and staff daily in thier relentless pursuit of justice in this case.

Contact Information