SWFL residents injured in New Orleans attack continue legal battle

Two Southwest Floridians,  Steele Idelson and Elle Eisele, were among the dozens injured during a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year's Day last year. A man drove a truck into a crowd, killing 14 people and injuring 35 others.

A year later, new details have emerged about a lawsuit filed against the city of New Orleans. The lawsuit has successfully dodged multiple motions to dismiss this year, according to the law firms involved.

The civil suit, filed in January, claims that the attack was preventable.

"If only New Orleans public safety officials, municipal leaders and city contractors had properly done their jobs," said Romanucci and Blandin in a press release updating the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that New Orleans' elected officials and public safety employees, along with their consultants and contractors, were aware of the risks to the French Quarter, specifically Bourbon Street.

The involved law firms are now in the discovery phase, gathering evidence such as emails and safety reports to support their case.

"Those entrusted with safeguarding the public had years of repeated knowledge of the risk in public spaces such as Bourbon Street," said the law firm. "They lacked both a reliable safety plan as well as a suitable back-up plan to prevent a large-scale tragedy."

A significant focus of the lawsuit is on the blockades meant to prevent vehicles from accessing the streets. Reports indicate that the steel blockades were being replaced at the time of the attack.

WINK News reached out to the local victims, Idelson and Eisele, but has not yet received a response.