LA Newlywed David Hynes ID’d In Tragic New Orleans Vehicle-VS-Pedestrian Collision

NEW ORLEANS, LA. (THECOUNT) — David Hynes, a newlywed man who recently relocated from New Orleans to Seattle, has been identified as one of the pedestrians struck and killed in New Orleans by a man suspected of driving drunk.

Hynes, 31, recently relocated to Seattle but was back in town celebrating Mardi Gras while he wait for his new bride, Jorie Kirschbaum Hynes, to join him.

The other victim killed in the collision was identified as Sharree Walls. Her age was not provided.

The driver in the tragic crash has been identified as 32-year-old Tashonty Toney. He is now facing two counts of vehicular homicide, seven counts of vehicular negligent injuring, hit-and-run and reckless operation, New Orleans police spokesman Andy Cunningham said in a news release early Sunday.

According to Hynes’ mother-in-law, Patti Kirschbaum, the couple said their vows only a year ago, “Oh my God, they just got married a year ago,” Kirschbaum told The New Orleans Advocate when reached by phone on Sunday. “He was going to be there for a few days only. And she was going to meet him in New Orleans.”

Hynes had been working as an associate in the Seattle office of the law firm Selman Breitman, according to online records. He specialized in insurance, commercial litigation and environmental law. Before joining Selman Breitman, David worked as staff counsel for State Farm, in the insurer’s New Orleans and Seattle offices, where he defended insured people in state and federal court.

Hynes was originally from Los Angeles, according to his work profile with Selman Breitman, but moved to go to school. He graduated from Tulane University Law School and the University of Pennsylvania, and settled in Seattle with his wife after residing in several different states, reported The Advocate.

Geo quick facts: New Orleans is a Louisiana city on the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico. Nicknamed the “Big Easy,” it’s known for its round-the-clock nightlife, vibrant live-music scene and spicy, singular cuisine reflecting its history as a melting pot of French, African and American cultures. Embodying its festive spirit is Mardi Gras, the late-winter carnival famed for raucous costumed parades and street parties – wikipedia.