Investigators have little to go on after a wrong-way car accident in the overnight hours killed one person and seriously injured two others.
Louisiana State Police troopers report that 25-year-old Daniel Elwood, of Tallahassee, Fla., was southbound on State Highway 21 in one of the northbound lanes. Roughly four miles south of Bogalusa, Mr. Elwood collided head-on with a northbound car driven by 17-year-old Jodi Vasbinder, of Covington. Mr. Elwood, who was apparently not wearing a seatbelt, was declared dead at the scene; Ms. Vasbinder was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries.
19-year-old Nathan Nicolasi, who was a passenger in Ms. Vasbinder’s vehicle, was injured and transported to a nearby hospital via ambulance. [Read more…] about Authorities Look For Clues In Deadly Crash
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Dual 18-Wheeler Crash Injures Two
Motorists experienced delays of up to three hours as first responders cleared a serious truck crash on Interstate 10.
Details are sketchy concerning the wreck which occurred close to the Whiskey Bay Bridge and Ramah. Authorities state that the two trucks collided just west of the Atachafalaya Basin Bridge and caused traffic delays that stretched up to thirty miles. Before the injured semi-truck drivers could be rushed to local hospitals, they had to be extricated from the wreckage of their vehicles.
Investigators declined to state what the trucks were hauling but they said no hazardous materials were released. [Read more…] about Dual 18-Wheeler Crash Injures Two
Two Dead And Many Injured After Serious Bus Crash
A bus driver who did not have a commercial drivers’ license caused a horrific crash in southern Louisiana.
According to state troopers, 37-year-old Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, a Honduran national, was ferrying flood relief recovery workers in an inter-city bus when he failed to slow down for a fire truck and other first responders that had responded to the scene of an earlier accident. Mr. Rodriguez apparently rear-ended a disabled Toyota Camry, killing 21-year-old Jermaine Starr, of Moss Point, Miss., who was in the rear seat. The force of the bus crash collision propelled the Toyota into a fire truck. St. John the Baptist Parish Fire Chief Spencer Chauvin was thrown off an elevated portion of Interstate 10 and plunged to his death. Several dozen other individuals, including several firefighters and most of the tour bus passengers, were seriously injured.
Investigators are trying to determine the identity of the bus owner and/or Mr. Rodriguez’s employer. Police arrested him and charged him with a number of offenses, including two counts of negligent homicide. [Read more…] about Two Dead And Many Injured After Serious Bus Crash
Runaway Car In Youngsville
Four people were seriously injured after a possibly reckless driver crashed through the front doors of the Post Office in downtown Youngsville.
The driver – whose name was not released – apparently hopped a curve, smashed through the doors, barreled through the lobby, and eventually came to rest against the front counter. One victim was pinned between the car and the counter for quite some time before first responders arrived. Authorities believe that the other three victims were all postal workers or post office patrons.
The crash is still under investigation. [Read more…] about Runaway Car In Youngsville
Deadman’s Curve?
Louisiana State Police are investigating the seventh traffic fatality of 2016 – and the second drowsy driving-related wreck – on a single stretch of State Highway 27 in the western part of the Bayou State.
Between Sulpher and DeQuincy, S.H. 27 is very windy in the south and there is an elbow curve in the north. It was in this curvy part not far from DeQuincy that 23-year-old Jasmine Phillips crossed from the northbound to the southbound side. “We suspect Ms. Phillips nodded off,” commented Sergeant James Anderson of LSP Troop D. She collided with a southbound truck driven by 23-year-old Cody Massie, of Singer. Ms. Phillips was declared dead at the scene; Mr. Massie was rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries. In February 2016, 18-year-old Charlee Smith, of DeQuincy, crossed from the northbound to the southbound side at almost the exact same spot. She collided with 17-year-old Lauren LeBlanc, of DeQuincy. Both women were killed almost instantly, and authorities speculate that fatigued driving was the cause of that crash as well. [Read more…] about Deadman’s Curve?
Deadly Day On Lafayette-Area Roads
Three people died in two car crashes in one day in St. Landry Parish.
The first wreck occurred in the overnight hours on Interstate 49 outside of Opelousas. Authorities state that 34-year-old Josie Robertson was northbound when she crossed over to the southbound side and struck 24-year-old Tyler Compton nearly head-on. Ms. Robertson was pronounced dead at the scene; Ms. Compton was rushed to a nearby hospital with serious injuries, but doctors couldn’t save her. Neither woman was wearing a seat belt.
The next fatal crash occurred several hours later near the intersection of State Highway 93 and Roy Road in rural St. Landry Parish. Aaron Guidry was apparently walking in the middle of southbound SH 93 while wearing a light-colored top and black shorts. A motorist, whose name was not released, hit him and killed him. [Read more…] about Deadly Day On Lafayette-Area Roads