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On November 7, 2019, a helicopter is presumed to have crashed in the Gulf of Mexico. The helicopter was owned and being flown by Panther Marine. Panther Marine was operating the aircraft under Panther Helicopters of Belle Chasse. The helicopter was hired by Cox Oil. 

The last communication was about ten minutes before the helicopter was expected to land. Unfortunately, the crew did not reach their destination.

 Because the last known location of the helicopter was approximately 13 nautical miles off the coast of Louisiana, the Coast Guard is searching for the two passengers. “The passengers were transiting from one offshore rig to another” the Coast Guard stated. Since beginning the search, the Coast Guard discovered debris at 40 nautical miles.  As of Saturday November 9th, the Coast Guard was still searching. 

Lafayette Consolidated Government, in partnership with Bike Lafayette and Broussard, David & Moroux, will host the second annual Bicycle Safety Festival on Saturday, May 20 at Parc Sans Souci from 9 a.m. until noon.

Bicyclists of all ages are invited to participate in the free event which will feature bicycle safety instruction, bike helmet fitting, and bicycle inspections.

“The aim of this event is to help cyclists and motorists become more knowledgeable about bicycle safety and the rules of the road,” said Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux. “As Lafayette embraces a more bicycle-oriented mindset, bicycle awareness is becoming even more essential. Through this approach, we can make the roads safer for all users.”

BATON ROUGE — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced his appointments to the Board of Regents.

“Our institutions of higher education continue to face financial challenges that make the work of the Board of Regents more critical than ever as we continue our efforts to stabilize the budget and provide more predictable funding for our colleges and universities,” said Gov. Edwards. “The appointees I have named to the board bring an array of professional and educational expertise from higher education institutions across Louisiana. I am looking forward to working with them to build a brighter future for Louisiana’s students.”

The following appointments will be effective on January 1, 2017:

Lafayette, Louisiana – The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) is pleased to announce that Blake R. David of the law firm, Broussard, David & Moroux has successfully achieved Board Certification as a Civil Trial Advocate. The NBTA was formed out of a strong conviction that both the law profession and its clients would benefit from an organization designed specifically to create an objective set of standards illustrating an attorney’s experience and expertise in the practice of trial law.

Blake R. David joins a growing number of trial attorneys that have illustrated their commitment to bettering the legal profession by successfully completing a rigorous application process and providing the consumer of legal services with an objective measure by which to choose qualified and experienced legal counsel.

The elaborate screening of credentials that all NBTA board certified attorneys must successfully complete includes: demonstration of substantial trial experience, submission of judicial and peer references to attest to their competency, attendance of continuing legal education courses, submission of legal writing documents, proof of good standing and passing of rigorous written examination.

A three-judge panel from the FirstCircuit Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s ruling finding the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development at fault for the severe injuries suffered by Evelyn “Joy” Menard when her vehicle struck an out-of-service signal wire hanging under the Essen Lane overpass.

The accident occurred in 2004 but the wire had been hanging under the I-12 bridge for decades, having been installed by the DOTD in 1967 and decommissioned in 1976. The wire had sagged over time and, by the time of the accident, was low enough that it was pulled down by a passing 18-wheeler.  Ms. Menard was travelling behind the 18-wheeler and her car became entangled in the downed wire, pulling her vehicle violently sideways, injuring her lower back and leaving her totally disabled.

At trial, DOTD acknowledged that following the decommission of the signal in 1976, it had no record of inspecting or servicing the wire, the pole, traffic signal, or any other component part of the signal governing the entrance to the intersection where the accident occurred. Ms. Menard’s expert testified that DOTD’s abandonment of the wire without inspection or any effort to maintain it rendered the wire unreasonably dangerous, especially in light of the risk of  the wire sagging over time.