As a parent, your priority is and will always be the well-being of your children. However, as diligent and careful as you are, you may not always be able to protect your children from dangerous drivers on the road. Fortunately, knowing how to properly secure your child in your vehicle and what to do in the event that an accident does occur may keep your child or children from suffering further harm.

Seat belts are the number one vehicle safety feature responsible for saving lives. A study in 2012 by the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that over 12,000 children’s lives were saved due to seat belt usage in a single year. This figure is important in understanding that children require car seats, booster seats, and seat belts to be truly safe within a vehicle. Following directions to appropriately secure your child’s car seat or booster seat is also an essential part of protecting your child in the unfortunate event of a crash.

If the unfortunate should happen and your children are in your car when an accident occurs, immediately remove yourself from the vehicle, if it is safe for you to do so, and check on your child. It is generally advised to minimally move or touch your children until medical professionals are on the scene if the accident was severe. Minor and moderate accidents may require your children to be examined by an emergency room physician or their pediatrician to ensure no damage was done. Furthermore, any car seats that were in the car, with or without an occupant, should be immediately replaced. Much like helmets, sustaining substantial impact can cause them to fail in the event of a second accident.

A woman died after she was hit while riding her bicycle on LA 75. The accident occurred on October 3 around 8 p.m. Brandi Mendoza was traveling southbound on the highway in Iberville Parish when she was struck from behind by an SUV. The driver of the SUV was identified as Bradly Poston.

Mendoza was taken to Oschner Hospital in Plaquemine by ambulance. She was pronounced dead upon arrival at the medical facility. Louisaina State Troopers are investigating the death of the bicyclist. It is not suspected that impairment due to alcohol or drug use was a factor in the accident. A routine toxicology test was taken from Mendoza and Poston to be analyzed.

Further investigation revealed that the bicycle was a dark color and did not have the mandatory white light on the front nor red reflector on the read of the bike. The bicyclist was also wearing dark clothing at the time of the accident and did not have a helmet.

Baton Rouge is currently in the process of removing bicycle lanes from certain areas, potentially causing bicycle incidents to increase. The office of Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm wants to encourage all bicyclists to take every precaution when riding on public roads.

Last September 24, Jacob Ward of Metairie passed away when his motorcycle hit a car after the car failed to yield on River Road in Old Jefferson. Louisiana State Police stated that the car’s driver, 23-year-old Blair Guidry, did not yield to the motorcycle at a stop sign while turning onto the road.

According to reports, Guidry stopped her car at the sign as she waited to turn onto River Road. While turning, she did not yield to Ward’s motorcycle, causing the crash. Ward was wearing a helmet when he hit the side of Guidry’s car, but he later died at the University Hospital in New Orleans.

A toxicology test is still pending for Ward. Guidry took a breath test and was cleared of intoxication.

The accident is still under investigation.

The death of a loved one is hard to accept, especially if it involves the negligence of someone else. Our team of wrongful death lawyers at Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm sends their sincerest condolences to Mr. Ward’s family and friends.

Nobody wants to think about being involved in a car accident. However, thinking ahead and having a well-stocked roadside emergency kit can save you from some of the stress that can result after an automobile accident. Even the safest drivers on the road should make sure to have a roadside emergency kit handy so that they can deal with any unforeseen and unexpected problems that arise.

Unfortunately, having this kit and being a cautious driver won’t guarantee protection from sustaining injuries due to another’s negligence. If you have been involved in a car accident caused by another party, contact the Baton Rouge car accident lawyers of the Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm at (225) 650-7400 today.

Roadside Emergency Kit Essentials

Whether you’re heading off on a long trip or just driving to the store, make sure you have these items close at hand:

• Cell phone – this allows you to make emergency calls and contact roadside assistance if no one is around to help
• Jumper cables – car batteries die from time to time and need to be jump-started, and having jumper cables also lets you be a good Samaritan and help other drivers in need
• Flashlight – whether you’re in an accident at night or you need to see under the hood, having a flashlight nearby is always a good idea
• Blanket or poncho – this will keep you warm and dry in case you get caught outside in severe weather
• First aid kit – in the event of an accident, this will help you treat minor injuries
• Basic toolbox – even if you don’t know how to make small repairs to your vehicle, a passing driver might
• Food and water – if you have ever had a multiple hour wait for a tow truck in the middle of nowhere, you know how important this is
• Reflective warning triangles or emergency flares – these help to warn other drivers of your presence on the shoulder and helps the tow truck find your vehicle
• Pen and paper – an absolute necessity for writing down the contact and insurance information of the other motorists who were involved in the accident, as well as witnesses’ names and contact information

Contact a Car Accident Attorney in Baton Rouge Today

Even the most prepared drivers are occasionally involved in accidents through no fault of their own. If you were injured due to another’s recklessness, you shouldn’t have to bear the cost of your recovery alone. Call one of the Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm’s car accident attorneys at (225) 650-7400 today to learn more about how to pursue compensation.

Three direct care service workers were arrested and charged with Medicaid fraud as a result of an investigation conducted by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

Quenitta Butts, 39, and Kaisha Pitre, 26, were both charged with multiple counts of Medicaid fraud after allegedly defrauding the state’s Medicaid program by submitting falsified time sheets to receive payments. Christopher Jenkins, 33, was arrested in a separate incident and charged with one count of Medicaid fraud after allegedly submitting two separate service logs that indicate he was providing services to two different patients in two different locations at the same time.

Being charged with Medicaid fraud can wreak havoc not just on your career, but on your personal life as well. To know more about fighting for your rights and liberty after being charged with Medicaid fraud in Baton Rouge, our team of criminal defense attorneys at Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm is willing to fight on your behalf. Call us at (225) 650-7400 and tell us more about your situation.

Baton Rouge police officials are investigating a traffic accident resulting in the death of a man attempting to change a flat tire on his van on Sept. 11. The motorist was struck while on the side of Louisiana Highway 42, also known as Burbank Drive.

The victim was identified and reported to be 80-years-old. He had parked his Toyota Sienna on the shoulder of the expressway. As he was changing his tire, he was struck when another driver lost control of his vehicle while maneuvering a curve in the road.

The incident resulted in the death of the man on the side of the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The condition of the other driver is unreported. Charges are pending and an investigation is ongoing for further causes of the accident.

Reckless drivers present a danger to other motorists on the road as well as pedestrians in the area. If you or someone you know was injured in a car accident due to the negligent and dangerous driving behaviors of another driver, contact the Baton Rouge personal injury attorneys at the Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, damage to your vehicle, and lost wages as a result of injuries. Please call (225) 650-7400 today for more information on how our practice can help you.

Kendrick Ross, a 37-year-old resident of Baton Rouge, was found in his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his head last Saturday, September 19. He died at the hospital next morning.

According to Baton Rouge police Cpl. L’Jean McKneely, Ross was shot at around 5:45 p.m. at the 9400 block of Avis Avenue. The case is still under investigation and the motive and suspect remain unknown.

Ross’ widow, Kristin, said that she has no idea as to why her husband was shot dead. Kristin remembered the last time she talked to Ross. He said to her, “I’ll be home before it gets dark.” The widow also said that everything they did together revolved around their children. “Me and him had finally said we were gonna do something by ourselves, so we were gonna go on a cruise in three weeks,” she later said.

The personal injury lawyers at Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm send their deepest condolences to Kendrick Ross’ family and friends.

General Motors’ decision to hire attorney Kenneth Feinberg as a consultant regarding the company’s response to the families of victims of their faulty ignition switch has inadvertently led to the linking of 124 deaths to the defect, rather than the 13 deaths GM originally claimed to have known about. Feinberg, tasked with guiding the company through this delicate issue, reviewed over 4,000 claims of death or injury related to the recalled ignition and, after rejecting 91 percent of those claims, found that there were ten times as many deaths caused by the faulty ignition switch in GM vehicles than was previously thought.

Out of 399 claims found to be legitimate: 124 were from families of victims who died; 17 were from victims who suffered quadriplegia, paraplegia, double amputation, permanent brain damage, or extensive burns; and 258 were from victims who were hospitalized or given outpatient treatment within 48 hours of their accidents.

News of the additional claims comes at a bad time for GM, when the U.S. Justice Department is closing in on a decision regarding whether criminal charges will be levied against the company for its failure to act after first discovering the defective switch back in 2001.

It would appear that the company has attempted to make amends for the catastrophic level of damage caused by their defective vehicles; GM has earmarked $625 million for payment to the victims and their families, and this past June saw CEO Mary Barra fire 15 employees whom the company accused of failing to aggressively seek solutions to the disastrous problem. The company issued a major recall in 2014, but apparently knew of the defect in 2001, before their affected vehicles ever hit the market.

Don Cazayoux, former U.S. Attorney, congressman and state representative, gives his insight on the end of the session and how this will affect Governor Jindal and his attempt for the presidency. Listen here

The Advocate
Ben Wallace
BWALLACE@THEADVOCATE.COM

A hit-and-run crash Monday morning involving a school bus in north Baton Rouge sent two students aboard the bus to a hospital, authorities said.

The crash occurred SHORTLY before 6:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of Weller Avenue near its intersection with Alliquippa Street, said Cpl. Don Coppola Jr., a Baton Rouge police spokesman.

A Geo Prizm rear-ended the school bus, Coppola said, and the Geo’s driver fled the scene following the crash. Police are looking for the CAR’S driver and the crash remains under investigation.

Two of the nine students aboard the school bus were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, said Mike Chustz, a spokesman for East Baton Rouge Parish’s Emergency Medical Services.

It wasn’t immediately clear which school the students were going to when the crash occurred.

If you or someone who you know was injured in an automobile accident that was not their fault, call Cazayoux Ewing Law Firm for help.  225-650-7400