Report: New Gulf dead zone to be the size of Connecticut
June 9, 2016
Brown leaving Terrebonne to take administrative position with Ellender
June 10, 2016
The family of a Chauvin man killed when an allegedly speeding sports car hit his pickup head-on in a Memorial Day weekend wreck has filed suit for damages in state court.
Houma attorney Michael Samanie filed papers in the 32nd Judicial District Court on behalf Desi Rodrigue, the widow of Eugene Rodrigue, and their two children, Eugene Jr. and Tyler.
One defendant is the estate of Lloyd Lecompte Jr., who court papers say was operating his 2008 Corvette at a high rate of speed and was intoxicated on May 27 at 8 p.m. He was killed in the wreck, along with his passenger, Paul Broussard. The other defendant is GEICO County Mutual Insurance, which was said to hold the policy on the Corvette.
Rescue workers at the time said it was one of the worst wrecks they had seen in their careers. Initial examinations of the Corvette by law enforcement officials resulted in estimates that it was traveling well in excess of 110 mph on the two-lane highway, at times reaching speeds much higher than that. The maximum posted speed limit on that portion of La. Highway 56 is 55 mph.
Damages for funeral expenses, medical costs and other claims in connection with the wreck are justified, the court papers state, due to “wanton and reckless disregard for the rights and safety of others.”
Some members of Lecompte’s family have balked at public criticism of his alleged actions on social media outlets, suggesting that while he may have been speeding, they are not aware of proof he was intoxicated.
They have also questioned whether Rodrigue contributed to the wreck, by backing out of his driveway on the southbound side of La. Highway 56 in order to travel into the northbound lane. Rodrigue was traveling north in the northbound lane when Lecompte, also in the northbound lane, struck him while traveling south. State Police from Troop C, who are handling the investigation of the wreck, did not know why Lecompte was in the northbound lane. Witnesses had earlier seen the Corvette traveling in the wrong lane of traffic, further up the bayou.
Lecompte’s family describe him as an affable man who was not prone to irresponsible behavior, who rarely drank.
Toxicology tests in regard to Lecompte are still pending, but troopers had said there was evidence of impairment apparent at the scene.
Desi Rodrigue was in the passenger seat of the 2002 pickup; the two Rodrigue children were in the back seat and suffered less serious injuries.
The case has been assigned to State District Judge George Larke.
