Pointe Coupee Parish, LA – Party Barge Injures Three Children on False River

Pointe Coupee Parish, LA (August 10, 2021) – Police stated that the driver of a party barge that struck three children on False River and then fled the scene has been located.

All three children sustained injuries. The youngest, an 8-year-old was med flighted to a hospital with a broken pelvis.

The Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff reported that the party barge driver was found about three hours later at his home near Lafayette.

Investigators have not released the suspect’s identity but say it’s likely he will be charged in the case.

The accident took place on Sunday, August 8th along False River in New Roads.

The children, who ranged in age from 8-years-old to 14-years-old, were on a tube being towed behind a boat when they were struck by the party barge at about 3:45 p.m.

In addition to the victim who was airlifted, another one of the three children was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for emergency medical treatment.

According to deputies, the driver of the party barge admitted he was there but told investigators that he rendered aid before leaving the scene. 

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is leading the investigation into this accident.

Our thoughts are with the injured victims and their families at this time. We hope for their full recovery.

Boating Accidents in Pointe Coupee Parish

Many of our state’s residents enjoy boating along the coast and various bodies of water. When someone is negligent on the water, however, serious injuries can happen. If you or a family member was injured in a boating accident, you could be entitled to financial compensation for any injuries.

Anytime a person is harmed in an accident because of the negligence of another, it is important that they get reliable legal advice from an experienced personal injury attorney in Louisiana right away. Victims normally discover they have a wide variety of legal alternatives available to them as they look for financial recovery.

The operator of a boat can be considered to have behaved negligently under numerous circumstances should injury result, including:

• Striking wake or waves at unnatural angles and/or excessive speed
• Choosing to go out in inclement weather
• Operating a watercraft at excessive speed
• Failure to have sufficient safety devices onboard
• Operating an overburdened watercraft 
• Making physical contact with people or other watercraft
• Overloading and/or overcrowding a watercraft

The caring Louisiana injury accident attorneys at Smiley Law Firm have several decades of experience in helping their clients hold negligent people responsible for their actions. Our attorneys are ready to guide you through this complex legal process and always provide effective and up-to-date legal guidance. 

As laid out by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the actions of a boat operator fall under the classification of “reckless operation” if they go against Louisiana’s rules of the road.

The law outlines standards for right-of-way and passing, as well as laws regarding boating in specific kinds of weather, excessive speeds near dive flags, and in wake zones. Disregarding these laws could result in the operator being cited for careless operation.

Our Louisiana personal injury attorneys do what it takes to get our clients the maximum amount of financial compensation allowed by law. If you sustained an injury during any kind of accident, contact our New Orleans personal injury law firm at 504-688-3494 or 504-822-2222. Schedule a free case examination with a member of our legal team of accident attorneys in Louisiana as soon as possible.

Note: These posts are constructed with the use of secondary sources. These sources include but are not limited to local and state news stories, local and state police accident reports, social media platforms, and eyewitness accounts about injury accidents that take place in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. We did not independently verify the fact surrounding this accident. If you locate any information that is inaccurate, please contact our firm and we will correct the post to reflect the most accurate information available. We will also remove this post upon request.

Disclaimer: These posts are created to raise awareness about the dangers of driving in Louisiana. We hope that by casting light on serious accidents like this one, other drivers will take heed, and avoid being seriously injured in a similar accident. This post is not a solicitation for business. The information contained in this post is not intended to be legal or medical advice. The photo used in this post was not taken at the accident scene.