Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law Obtains Wrongful Death Judgment

May 23, 2011 - PRLog -- Eric O’Bell with the law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams in New Orleans has secured a survival and wrongful death judgment for Theresa Victor in the amount of $475,000. Judge Rosemary Ledet presided over the case and the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law attorney represented the plaintiff. “Although this will not bring back Tim back, at least now his mother can have some closure,” stated the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law attorney.  

The attorney from Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law said that Theresa Victor’s adult son Timothy was traveling on a bus operated by Custom Bus Charters on Mother’s Day in 1999.  The Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law attorney reported that the bus driver veered off the highway and plunged into an embankment.  He was found to have a deadly mix of controlled substances in his system, according to Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams. “In fact, according to documentation provided, the bus driver had previously tested positive for an illegal substance after being hired by the city of New Orleans in 1976,” stated the attorney from Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law.

“Facing criminal charges for this tragic bus accident the bus driver died of a heart attack two weeks after the accident,” explained Eric O’Bell, who has represented many clients in wrongful death and personal injury cases for Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law.  And while the driver never fully spoke to investigators on advice from his attorney at the time, investigators do know that at the time of the accident he was impaired due to smoking an illegal substance two to six hours before driving, notwithstanding any possible side affects from the Benadryl found in his system,” explained the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law attorney.  According to Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law, the driver also had known medical problems.

Investigators at the time of the crash found no fault with the bus equipment and ruled the bus driver was impaired by his substance use and chronic health problems, reported Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law.  “Clearly, this person should have never been behind the wheel of a vehicle, especially one carrying forty-four passengers traveling 75 miles per hour,” noted the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law attorney.  Following an initial trial, explained Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law, and a rehearing on a new trial, a settlement was awarded. “Judge Ledet awarded Theresa Victor, a mother who lost her son on Mother’s Day, a $475,000 settlement against those responsible for this devastating loss,” stated the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams attorney.

Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams is a nationally known legal firm established by the late Wendell Gauthier.  John W. Houghtaling is the managing partner of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law, which is located in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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The law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams has redefined the meaning of excellence in legal representation of clients. Nationally and internationally respected for many years, the law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams is a continuation of the Gauthier firm that gained major prominence with a landmark decision for clients devastated by the 1980 fire at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. That wrongful death suit is only one milestone on a list that includes over $85 million in insurance recoveries for victims of Hurricane Katrina, $13 million for the families following a major airline crash, and the landmark $246 billion negotiated deal with tobacco companies concerning their hidden knowledge of the dangerous consequences of tobacco smoke.