| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 1181 | 2011-05-29 | Troop A | Unrestrained Passenger Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent Troop A – News Release
Unrestrained Passenger Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash Baton Rouge – Louisiana State Police Troop A investigated a single vehicle crash that claimed the life of a Gonzales woman last night in Ascension Parish. The woman was a passenger in the rear seat who was not wearing a seat belt and ejected from the vehicle during the crash. Troopers’ preliminary investigation revealed that a 2009 Dodge pickup, being driven by a minor driver (male, age 16), was westbound on LA 935 (Bayou Narcisse Road) west of LA 431 when it veered to the left, crossed the center line, and ran off the road. After entering the ditch, the pickup rolled onto its passenger side. As the pickup rolled, Margaret Seepaul, age 40, of Gonzales, was ejected from the right rear passenger seat and sustained fatal injuries. The Ascension Parish Coroner’s Office pronounced Seepaul deceased on the scene. Troopers do not suspect impairment to have played a factor in this crash. The driver voluntarily submitted a breath sample, which showed that he had no detectable alcohol in his system. Currently, Troopers have charged the driver with careless operation. The crash remains under investigation. Louisiana law requires that EVERYONE in a motor vehicle buckle up, regardless of seating position. Unrestrained passengers in the rear seat are just as susceptible to injury and death as are front seat passengers. Unrestrained passengers also pose a threat to other passengers in the vehicle. During a crash, they can become deadly projectiles inside the vehicle and endanger everyone else in the vehicle. Troopers would like to remind the public to ALWAYS buckle up, never drink and drive, and never get into the vehicle with an impaired driver. There have been several deaths across the state already this weekend, and there has been a common denominator in most of these deaths – lack of seat belt use. State Police is currently participating in the national “Click It or Ticket” program in an effort to raise awareness and increase seat belt use across the state. BUCKLE UP…SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES!!! 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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