David Riley Killed in Crash with FedEx Truck on Hwy 12 near Ragley, LA
Ragley, LA — June 1, 2022, 30-year-old David Riley was killed in a crash with a FedEx truck on Highway 12 near Ragley.
According to reports the incident happened around 5:00 p.m. on Highway 12. Preliminary investigation suggests 21-year-old Taylor May was driving the FedEx truck on the highway when they tried to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone. The truck sideswiped a Chevy pickup headed the other way.
Riley, a passenger in the Chevy, suffered fatal injuries in the collision. No other injuries were reported.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on David Riley Accident on Hwy 12 near Ragley
It sounds a great deal from reports like the FedEx driver made an unsafe and ultimately fatal traffic maneuver in the road. You hate to see anyone make a move like that and hurt someone, but when a professional does it there are other considerations as well.
When a company employee acts up and causes injuries or death while on the clock, the company behind them is often responsible for the damage done under the legal principle of respondeat superior, or "let the master answer." However, sitting between the injuries and the company doing the right thing for victims lies a long and difficult road. The company isn't obligated to agree that its employee's actions were the proximate cause of the victim's injuries, and most will fight hard to avoid liability.
Victims and families often call the firm after they find out to their dismay that their situation wasn't as open-and-shut as they believed. Defense attorneys are very inventive about finding other things to blame for these crashes: Road conditions, sun glare, and even the victims themselves often get fingers pointed at them before the company even thinks about admitting fault.
It's important for those affected by these wrecks to gather clear and indisputable evidence of what happened to be sure a jury won't be swayed by the company's denials and deflections. That can be a tough pill to swallow while they're busy just trying to recover from their recent ordeal, so rather than suggest they wait for police reports I often advise working with independent investigators. Those experts round up the needed evidence to tell the whole story, which can be invaluable when seeking help from a big company after its employee causes life-altering damage.
