A single vehicle car accident has claimed the life of a Louisiana man and injured another passenger. The driver, a 26-year-old man, has been arrested for vehicular homicide. The car accident occurred in the early morning hours, when he apparently drove off of the road.

The vehicle then drove into a ditch, hit a utility pole and eventually also hit a culvert. The driver did not sustain any injuries in the crash. However, a 22-year-old passenger was severely injured and taken to the hospital. Another passenger was pronounced dead after being partially ejected out of the vehicle.

Authorities believe the driver was under the influence of narcotics. He is now facing several charges related to this case including DWI, vehicular homicide, careless operation, failure to wear a seat belt and vehicular negligent injury. Authorities took toxicology samples, which will be analyzed by the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab. The car accident is still under investigation.

Anytime an accident like this occurs there are a number of questions to be answered. Fortunately, the accident report will soon be completed, and may provide answers to the families of the passengers who were injured or killed in the crash. If negligence is cited as a factor in this Louisiana car accident, both families may have the legal right to pursue civil action against the driver; however, so far there is no indication that either party has decided to do so. For now, the driver is facing a number of criminal charges for his role in this crash. The option of pursuing a civil case is still open, and could serve as an additional measure of justice in this case.

Source: katc.com, "Driver Arrested for Vehicular Homicide in Fatal Crash on LA 347," Aug. 18, 2012