Shannon Handy v. United States of America

Shreveport, Louisiana personal injury lawyer represented the Plaintiff who sued on a Federal Tort Claims Act auto negligence theory.



This was an archetypal dispute over who ran a red light and caused an accident between a privately-owned car and U.S. Postal Service long-life vehicle (LLV). After a bench trial, the district judge found the government's witness more credible and entered a take-nothing award on Plaintiff-Appellant Shannon Handy's claim under the Federal Tort Claims

Act (FTCA). Finding no clear error in the judgment, we AFFIRM.



On March 26, 2020, a 2010 Ford Focus and an LLV driven by Ricky Knight, a now-retired Postal Service Letter Carrier, collided at the intersection of Moss Street and Mudd Avenue in Lafayette, Louisiana. Handy was in the Ford Focus and sued under the FTCA for injuries allegedly sustained in the accident.



The trial evidence presented two irreconcilable stories. Handy testified his friend was driving with Handy riding shotgun; Knight identified Handy as the driver. Handy testified his friend stopped at the intersection's

red light and proceeded once it turned green when Knight's LLV, "coming at full speed,” struck the Focus. Knight, on the other hand, testified he stopped his LLV at the red light, proceeded once it turned green and—only

after he'd entered the intersection—saw a "car coming real fast” that he couldn't avoid. Handy testified he was "blacked out for, like, a couple minutes” and others tried to pull him from the car, but the door jammed so

on-scene law enforcement pushed it out of traffic. Knight testified Handy—as the driver—exited the Focus after the accident, spoke with someone inside, returned to the car, and fled the scene.



Handy and Knight were the only trial witnesses. After their testimony, the district judge found Knight "very credible,” concluded "[t]he accident was the sole fault of the driver of the other vehicle,” and entered judgment

dismissing Handy's claims.1

Affirmed