Our firm recently settled a very important case in Louisiana. On July 28, 2008, a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 12 in Baton Rouge claimed the lives of a young couple from Mississippi and their seven-year old daughter. Additionally, their four-year-old daughter was critically injured in the crash and is still undergoing treatment and therapy for permanent nerve damage. Along with Jim Reeves, a very good lawyer from Biloxi, Mississippi, we were fortunate to represent the estates of Phillip, Shyla and Haylie Van Alstine for their wrongful deaths and Kaytie Van Alstine for her permanent injuries. Prior to his death, Phillip was a member of the Mississippi National Guard and was a chemical engineer. His wife Shyla was a school teacher.
On July 28, 2008, the Van Alstine family was returning home from a summer afternoon at a local water park just before the new school year started. As the family traveled along Interstate 12 in their Chevrolet van, traffic became congested and slowed to a stop. Just prior to the accident, the family was sitting parked on the interstate behind a flat-bed tractor trailer. Behind them a Chevrolet Express van came to a stop. Although the drivers of the other vehicles recognized that traffic was slowing and stopped, a speeding Waste Management tractor trailer failed to stop and struck the rear of the Express van. The Waste Management truck then pushed the Express van into and through our clients’ van. The force of the impact was so great that the entire body of our clients’ van was separated from its frame. Although they were all properly wearing their seatbelts, Shyla and Haylie were killed at the scene and Phillip was transported to the hospital but died a short time later. Kaytie, who was properly buckled in her child seat, suffered extensive orthopedic and nerve injuries and requires ongoing therapy.
Although we were prepared to provide extensive expert testimony, this case settled prior to trial for a confidential amount. Mike Andrews and Jim Reeves did a very good job representing this unfortunate family.
