| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 1152 | 2011-04-24 | Troop A | Impairment, Speed, and Lack of Seat Belt Use Suspected Factors in Fatal Crash |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent Troop A – News Release
Impairment, Speed, and Lack of Seat Belt Use Suspected Factors in Fatal Crash Jackson – Louisiana State Police, Troop A, investigated a single-vehicle crash that claimed the life of a Zachary man last night shortly before 10:30 pm in West Feliciana Parish. Troopers’ preliminary investigation revealed that Sylvester Berry (B/M, age 32) was driving a 1996 Chevrolet Caprice west on LA 10 near LA 965 at a high rate of speed when the crash occurred. Berry entered a left-hand curve and began to run off the road to the right when he over-corrected, re-entered the roadway, and began to rotate counter-clockwise. The Caprice then crossed both lanes of LA 10, ran off the road to the left, and struck a tree. Berry was not restrained at the time of the crash and was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced deceased on the scene by the West Feliciana Coroner’s Office. Troopers believe that Berry may have been impaired and have submitted a blood sample to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for chemical analysis. Troopers are certain that speed was a contributing factor in the crash. The fatal injuries Berry sustained were caused when he was ejected from the vehicle. The combination of impaired driving and lack of seat belt use accounts for the majority of fatal crashes across the state every year. While the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by crashes has steadily decreased over the past couple of years, Troopers still see too many senseless tragedies that could be avoided if people would make better decisions when getting behind the wheel. Troopers will continue to aggressively enforce the state’s traffic laws in an effort to eliminate these tragedies. If you are caught riding in a vehicle with no seat belt, you will receive a citation. If you are caught driving impaired, you will be arrested and booked into jail. Troopers are also very involved in educational and outreach programs to make people aware of the dangers of impaired driving, distracted driving, and the lack of seat belt use. More people are buckling up now than ever before, but there is still work to be done. Troopers would like to remind the public that state law requires that everyone in a vehicle be properly restrained at all times, regardless of seating position. The safest place to be during a crash is INSIDE the vehicle, and the only way to ensure this is to buckle up! Contact Information: TFC Russell G. Graham II Public Affairs Unit Louisiana State Police – Troop A Office: (225) 754-8524 russell.graham@dps.la.gov www.LSP.org | |||
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