Six individuals who sustained injuries in a horrific truck attack, along with the father of a victim who lost his life, initiated a lawsuit against the City of New Orleans and two associated contractors on Thursday. They allege that these entities did not take adequate measures to safeguard revelers from an Army veteran, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who bypassed a police blockade and barreled down Bourbon Street, resulting in the deaths of 14 individuals and injuring at least 30 others.
According to the lawsuit filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court by Matthew Hemmer of the Morris Bart Law Firm, the assault was both tragic and preventable. The six victims are reportedly facing physical injuries, such as broken bones, along with emotional distress linked to the incident that claimed the life of Brandon Taylor. Jabbar himself was killed during a shootout with law enforcement shortly after the attack.
The plaintiffs include Alexis Windham, who endured gunshot wounds and injuries to her foot, as well as Corian Evans, Jalen Lilly, Justin Brown, Shara Frison, and Gregory Townsend, all of whom suffered from broken bones and various other serious injuries. Taylor’s father, Joseph, is also part of the legal action. Windham, Evans, Lilly, and Brown hail from Alabama, whereas Frison and Townsend are from Missouri.
Brandon Taylor, a 43-year-old restaurant cook known for his love of rap music, tragically left behind his fiancée, who was with him during the fatal incident, and his father.
Attempts to obtain comments from the City of New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell, and the contractors Mott MacDonald and Hard Rock Construction regarding the lawsuit were unsuccessful, as emails and voicemails went unanswered.
The lawsuit points to a disturbing trend of vehicle attacks on crowds, a phenomenon that intensified after a 2016 incident in Nice, France, in which 86 people were killed. In response to this growing concern, New Orleans sought expert opinions on mitigating such risks within the French Quarter and invested $40 million in initiatives aimed at enhancing public safety. This included acquiring portable bollards designed to prevent vehicle access on Bourbon Street.
Nevertheless, the lawsuit claims that these bollards frequently malfunctioned, becoming disabled when their tracks became obstructed by assorted debris like beads, drink containers, and rainwater. A 2019 report from Interfor International, based in New York, stated that the French Quarter was vulnerable to vehicular threats and noted that the bollard system on Bourbon Street was insufficient and required urgent improvements.
An April 2024 report from Mott MacDonald, which specializes in roadway projects, mentioned the possibility of a vehicle like a Ford F-150 making its way onto Bourbon Street. This indeed occurred on New Year’s Day despite plans for a bollard replacement project, which notably did not include fixed barriers in the French Quarter.
Although the safety upgrades commenced in November, work along Canal Street only started on December 19, and construction remained ongoing on January 1, the day of the attack. Reports indicate that Jabbar maneuvered his F-150 pickup truck on a sidewalk, circumventing a police blockade at the Canal Street entrance.
The lawsuit underscores that “appropriate barriers, temporary or otherwise, were not erected in the construction site,” leading the intersection to resemble a vulnerable target. Once he breached the perimeter, Jabbar managed to drive approximately three blocks down Bourbon Street.
The suit insists that both the contractors and the city fell short in establishing a competent system to counter such threats. Additionally, two other law firms recently announced that they are representing nearly two dozen victims of the attack and are launching their own investigation, asserting that public officials were critically aware of the risks but failed to protect the community adequately.
