Maritime trade is one of the most essential elements of a healthy world economy, and protection of its workers is one reason that Laborde Earles established our Maritime Workers Scholarship. This year, the $2,500 award goes to Cynthia Olowu, who often goes by her Yoruba name Tenilola. Born and raised in Nigeria, Olowu’s first interaction …
The largest class-action lawsuits and settlements
Class-action lawsuits allow negligence victims who suffered similar injuries due to the same party’s actions to team up and take legal action together. These cases often help victims to hold companies accountable when they could not do so on their own. In some instances, class members are identified only after the settlement or court award …
Laborde Earles Wins Multi-Million Dollar Verdict for Medical Van Crash Victim
Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers helped our client, a victim of multiple related personal injuries, get a $3.8 million award. After interest and costs, the amount will be close to $4.8 million to help with his ongoing care. On September 13, 2017, our client sat in his wheelchair in a medical van in Ville Platte, Louisiana. …
The National Trial Lawyers Announces Digger Earles as One of Its Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Louisiana
For Immediate Release The National Trial Lawyers is pleased to announce that Derrick “Digger” Earles of Laborde Earles Law Firm in Lafayette has been selected for inclusion into its Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Louisiana, an honor given to only a select group of lawyers for their superior skills and qualifications in the …
The National Trial Lawyers Announces Digger Earles as One of Its Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers in Louisiana
For Immediate Release The National Trial Lawyers: Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers Association is pleased to announce that Derrick “Digger” Earles, of Laborde Earles Law Firm, in Lafayette has been selected for inclusion into its Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers Association, an honor given to only a select group of lawyers for their achievements in …
Is your business suffering due to COVID-19
Since March 16, 2020, restaurants, bars, casinos, and movie theaters in Louisiana have been nearly 100 percent shuttered. After March 23, 2020, all non-essential business in Louisiana have been closed to the public. While the country fights the pandemic, it is the businesses and their employees who are suffering financially. Business owners have likely already …
Laborde Earles Lawyers Named Super Lawyers
Digger Earles and David Laborde are now featured in the publication that highlights outstanding lawyers LAFAYETTE, LA, FEBRUARY 10, 2020 — Two attorneys representing Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers are now featured in the renowned publication Super Lawyers, further solidifying the firm as outstanding in its field. David Laborde and Digger Earles were each selected for …
Do We Need Lower Speed Limits or Better Enforcement?
Does the speed limit on the Atchafalaya Bridge need to be reduced to increase safety? That’s what state officials are debating, but no decision has been reached yet. The Advocate talked about this matter. The debate was sparked about the issue back in August when an accident on the bridge killed one person, injured five …
Whiskey Bay Crash Sends Truck into the Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge is one of the longest bridges in the U.S. It’s also one of the most dangerous. It is a narrow bridge with no shoulder that lasts over 18 miles. Accidents are common on the bridge because of the lack of clearance. Also, since there are only a few places where you …
Bridge Resurfacing Job Finishes Early, Whiskey Bay Reopened
We’ve been writing the past few weeks about the construction projects on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. One big one has finished up ahead of schedule. WAFB reported on the successful repairs. I-10 West on the bridge has had lanes closed near Whiskey Bay to resurface the road after a truck fire last year caused damage …
Road Rage May Have Lead to Car Crash that Killed Pregnant Woman
When people get angry on the road, they can do unpredictable and dangerous things. Police say that road rage may have been a factor in a crash that killed a pregnant woman and her unborn child. WDSU reports. A New Orleans woman was driving through the town of Kenner on West Esplanade Avenue near Lake …
Trucker Lucky His Jack-knifed Truck Didn’t Hit Another Vehicle
A dangerous situation can happen when hauling a trailer called jack-knifing. This happens when the trailer swings around to the side behind the cab far enough that the cab can no longer recover. If you could look at the truck from the air, it would start to resemble a folding pocket knife. These situations are …
Collisions in Both Directions on I-10 this Morning
It’s rare for a day to pass where I-10 is accident-free. It’s one of the major thoroughfares of the area, and that means traffic and accidents. Just listen to any daily traffic report and you’re likely to hear of an accident on this road in Louisiana. Here is a sample from a few days ago …
Trucks Are Ignoring the Speed Limits and Lane Rules on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge
Given all the speed limit signs and changes on the Atchafalaya Bridge, you would think that it would be safer. However, there seem to be problems with enforcement of the limits and regulations for truckers. The Advocate published a letter to the editor a few months back about the need for better enforcement to keep …
18-Wheeler Overturns on I-10 West Near Henderson
Anytime there is an accident on I-10 near the Atchafalaya bridge, you can expect that traffic delays will follow. Access to the bridge and the surrounding access points is limited despite efforts at expansion. An example from last year demonstrates this, as reported by The Advocate. An 18-wheeler overturned its load and slowed down traffic …
Final Widening Phase for I-10 to Start this Year
There have been a number of projects planned to improve safety and reduce congestion around I-10 near the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. A final widening phase to expand the interstate between Lafayette and the bridge is expected to start this year. The Advocate reports. The plan is to increase the number of lanes to six between …
One Lane On I-10 West of the Atchafalaya Bridge Closed for Corridor Widening Project
As one of the longest bridges in the United States, the Atchafalaya Floodway Basin Bridge requires a lot of maintenance. This causes delays and increased accidents, but in theory, the improvements should improve safety afterward. For some time now, the entry points to the bridge have been under construction for expansion projects. Last month, the …
Guard Rail Repairs on Atchafalaya Bridge to Cause Major Delays
Crashes that damage guard rails don’t just cause delays during the crash. Road repairs also have to be made. Guard rails are a safety feature that keeps cars from flying off the road into dangerous locations or off bridges. This means that when a crash happens on a major bridge like the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, …
Holiday Driving Tips to Stay Safe this Season
Whenever an accident occurs on I-10 in Louisiana, the chance for traffic backing up and causing more problems is high. Thanks to all the waterways the road has to cross, there isn’t a lot of room to go onto the shoulder, if there even is one at all. This makes little room for errors. That’s …
Motorcyclist Falls into the Bonnet Carré Spillway
Louisiana is one of the swampiest areas in the United States because it has the mouth of the Mississippi River. I-10 has a lot of bridges that go over these swamps and spillways. When drivers and riders have accidents on these bridges, the fall is long and death is common. WWLTV reported on an accident …
Car Fire On I-10 West Near Ramah, No Injuries Reported
We’ve been talking about delays on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge due to resurfacing after a car fire last year. Now there’s been a second car fire, though much smaller than the one involving a lumber load. WBRZ reported on the incident. The car fire happened on I-10 West on Monday. The fire happened on the …
Why Does the Bridge Deck Need Resurfacing at All?
MyArkLaMiss.com reported on the recent lane closures on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge and why they are happening in the first place. In August of 2019, four tractor-trailers were involved in an accident near Whiskey Bay on the bridge. One of the trucks caught fire and one of them was carrying lumber. Workers removed the lumber …
First of the Weekend Closures for Resurfacing Project Causes Huge Traffic Jam
This past weekend, the first of several lane closures started to make repairs on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. As expected, the traffic backed up terribly all weekend. According to KATC, the traffic went back for 10 miles. The closures are happening on the westbound side of the bridge between Henderson and Whiskey Bay. There will …
Skateboarder Arrested for Recreating 1970s Stunt on I-210
Skateboards and bicyclists sometimes like to do stunts. In a park designed for that, it’s a fun activity. But doing stunts on an interstate is another thing entirely. One man from Sulphur found that out after he got arrested for skateboarding down the I-210 bridge. KPLC reports. In the 1970s, a video was shot of …
Motorcyclist Thrown Off Bridge On I-10 West
Using a motorcycle safely requires training, but accidents can still happen even to the best riders. When these accidents happen on a bridge, the results can be deadly. Motorcycles on I-10 in Louisiana have to take special care when driving or they could end up falling off a bridge, like what happened in this case …