Sarah Givens Severely Injured in Louisiana Dump Truck Crash, Trucker Charged With Negligent Homicide

A three-vehicle accident yesterday on Highway 437 led to the unfortunate and tragic death of a 2 year-old child, pronounced dead at the motor vehicle accident scene.  The collision involved a sedan, a pick-up truck and a 12-yard dump truck.

The child was riding in the sedan with an adult female Sarah Givens.  Ms. Givens was sent by AirMed to Charity Hospital.

The car driven by 24-year-old Sarah Givens was stopped in the northbound lane of Highway 437 while waiting to turn when a dump truck driven by 63-year-old Harry Lawrence Jr. pushed Givens’ car into the southbound lane where it was slammed by a pickup.  Mr. Lawrence did not notice the stopped car and hit its right bumper according to local police.  He was arrested and charged with one count of careless operation and one count of negligent homicide.

In this case, both the driver and the minor child were properly restrained, yet the force of being smashed into by a large commercial vehicle like a dump truck led to fatal chain reaction.  Neither truck driver involved in the accident was injured.

Our truck accident lawyers see cases too often where a negligent truck driver is either overworked and overtired or driving while distracted.  The companies mandating the relentless driving schedules and/or hiring dangerous drivers need to be held accountable for the devastating results of their actions.  A dangerous driver at the helm of a powerful machine like a dump truck is not something we can allow on our roads.

If you or someone you know need advice or help concerning your case against a dump truck company, gravel trucking firm, 18-wheeler operator, or other company with commercial vehicles, you can contact our law firm Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers today atinfo@smslegal.com.