Aggrostats

On August 7, 2016, shortly before 6:00 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop D responded to a three-vehicle crash on US Highway 165 near Louisiana Highway 102 in the village of Fenton in Jefferson Davis Parish. The preliminary investigation revealed a Fenton police officer stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on US 165 in the right lane of travel. A 2006 Nissan Altima driven by 77-year-old Florence T. Boudreaux of Port Arthur, TX struck the rear of a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicle belonging to the Fenton Police Department. The force of the impact caused the Tahoe to strike the vehicle that had been stopped.

The Tahoe was driven by 40-year-old Shannon Brown of Lake Charles. Officer Brown was standing in front of the Tahoe at the time of the collision and one of his legs was seriously injured. He was transported to a hospital in Lake Charles.

Boudreaux as well as the driver of the vehicle Officer Brown stopped were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries. Boudreaux was charged with failure to move over for an emergency vehicle.

On August 13, 2016, at 10:40 a.m., Officer Brown died as a result of the injuries he suffered in the crash. Investigators determined the police vehicle had emergency lighting activated at the time of the crash. The crash remains under investigation.

Louisiana state law requires drivers to move over for emergency vehicles making use of visual signals that are parked on or near a multi-lane highway or to slow to a reasonably safe speed if a lane change is not possible. On two-lane roads, drivers are required to maintain a safe speed for road conditions.

Troop D has investigated 21 fatal crashes resulting in 25 deaths so far this year.

Contact Information:
Sgt. James Anderson
Louisiana State Police
Public Affairs Section
Office: (337) 491-2932
james.l.anderson@la.gov
www.LSP.org
www.facebook.com/LouisianaStatePolice