St. Mary Parish, LA — April 10, 2024, one person was injured in a three-truck accident sometime in the afternoon along U.S. Highway 90.

The accident unfolded on the westbound lane of US-90 near the area of Franklin, located in St. Mary Parish. This event involved a collision between three semi-trucks within a zone marked for construction, situated to the south of LA-318.

The catalyst for this multi-vehicle pile-up was the sudden halting of one semi-truck, leading to the subsequent collision of the two trucks following it. Among the vehicles caught in this series of events, the last semi-truck incurred reportedly extensive damage. The operator of this truck was injured during the crash and required immediate medical attention, prompting an emergency transport to the nearest hospital.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Looking at this wreck, I can't help but think about a legal myth: a driver who rear-ends another driver is always to blame for a crash. I'm not sure where this myth started, but a lot of people seem to believe it. Let's take a look at why it isn't true.

First off, our legal system seeks to hold wrongdoers accountable. To assume that a driver is always at fault when they rear-end another driver is to say they're always in the wrong and that defies common sense. For instance, there's a type of insurance fraud scheme based around drivers cutting in front of other cars and slamming on the breaks. Who's in the wrong there? The fraudster or the their victim? Even that scenario doesn't need to involve a scam. Drivers brake unexpectedly and without reason all the time. When a driver brakes erratically and without reason, are they in the wrong, or the drivers who get caught in the ensuing pile-up?

This article mentioned that the whole chain of events was set in motion by a driver "stopping short." I won't hazard a guess as to what that means, but it doesn't sound like normal driving behavior to me. My point in discussing this isn't to cast blame about events that we only have limited information about, rather it's to point out that anyone who is jumping to conclusions based on what's in the news is probably basing their opinion on a legal myth that has no basis in reality. I'd encourage everyone to keep an open mind and see where the facts lead as they come to light.