Fort Myers residents Elle Eisele and Steele Idelson are among 21 plaintiffs in a lawsuit accusing New Orleans officials of negligence in a deadly New Year’s Eve attack. The two friends were struck by a truck that barreled through a crowded Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring dozens more.
On Wednesday, law firms Maples & Connick from New Orleans and Romanucci & Blandin from Chicago filed the lawsuit. It names the City of New Orleans, the New Orleans Police Department, the French Quarter Management District, and two contractors—Mott MacDonald and Hard Rock Construction. The lawsuit claims these defendants failed to implement proper safety measures, including bollards and security protocols, despite clear warnings and a history of similar attacks.
“The horrific events in the early hours of the new year were the predictable and entirely preventable result of a chain of events initiated by the actions and inactions taken by Defendants,” the lawsuit reads.
Eisele and Idelson, both 19 and graduates of Canterbury School in Fort Myers, traveled to New Orleans with the Eisele family to support the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. They joined the New Year’s Eve festivities on Bourbon Street, looking forward to the game the next day.
Around 3:12 a.m., Eisele and Idelson walked down Bourbon Street with a group of people their age. “The last thing Steele remembers is hearing the noise of the truck, and then she and Elle turned around to look,” the lawsuit states. “They were hit directly by the truck and violently thrown like rag dolls in the street, both receiving multiple traumatic and life-threatening injuries.”
The lawsuit also details that the two males they were with were killed. In the days following the incident, Idelson met the police officer who carried her to an ambulance. “Of all the people he tried to render aid to that night, she’s the only one who survived,” the suit states.
Neither Eisele nor Idelson are able to return to school this semester and remain homebound while they recover. The lawsuit also highlights the experiences of other victims, including Daniel Ortega, an Alabama resident who said he has experienced depression, anxiety, and overwhelming mental fear since the attack. “I have nightmares that cause me to go endless nights without sleep and continue to prevent me from attending public places during busy hours,” Ortega wrote in a statement.
Keith Eldridge, a Connecticut resident, said he was injured while diving out of the way of the truck and now has continuous flashbacks. Antoinette Klima, the lead plaintiff, lost her son’s father, Reggie Hunter, in the attack. “Nothing compares to the pain of losing Reggie and having to break the news to our son,” Klima said during a press conference on Thursday.
The lawsuit seeks to hold the defendants accountable for negligence and secure compensation for the victims’ injuries and suffering. Attorneys explained that assigning a specific monetary value is difficult due to the immeasurable emotional and physical losses, but experts will help determine both economic and non-economic damages.
“The losses here are immeasurable,” said Antonio Romanucci, founding partner of Romanucci & Blandin. “Our clients’ lives are forever changed, and we will hold all those responsible to account for this harm.”
“The people of New Orleans and the people who visit the city deserve better than what the officials provided,” said Brendan Connick, founding partner of Maples & Connick.
This is one of several lawsuits filed in connection with the New Orleans attack. This suit focuses on the alleged security failures and their impact on the 21 plaintiffs. As the case proceeds, more details are expected to emerge.
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