| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 3072 | 2015-03-24 | Troop D | Unrestrained Woman Dies in Drunken Driving Crash |
TROOP D NEWS RELEASE March 24, 2015 Unrestrained Woman Dies in Drunken Driving Crash LAKE CHARLES – An overnight single-vehicle crash in Calcasieu Parish has claimed the life of a passenger who was not wearing a seat belt and resulted in the arrest of the driver for vehicular homicide. On March 24, 2015, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Louisiana State Police Troop D responded to a single-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 3256 near Hungerford Road. The preliminary investigation revealed a 2010 Dodge Caravan was traveling east on LA 3256 when the driver, 34-year-old Randall Keith Laird, II of Lake Charles, failed to negotiate a curve. After traveling off the road and through two ditches, the vehicle struck a tree. The lone passenger in the vehicle, 44-year-old Molly Frank of Iowa, Louisiana, was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Calcasieu Parish Coroner’s Office. Frank was not wearing a seat belt. Laird was wearing a seat belt and had only minor injuries. Alcohol use on the part of Laird is suspected to be a factor in the crash. Laird performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests and was charged with DWI and vehicular homicide. A toxicology sample was obtained from Laird and will be submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation. In 2013, 63 percent of motorists who died in crashes investigated by Troop D were killed by an impaired driver. Impaired driving continues to result in needless deaths on Louisiana highways. Never drive impaired or get in a vehicle with an impaired driver. Troopers at the scene report if Frank had chosen to wear a seat belt it may have saved her life. Louisiana law requires vehicle occupants to be restrained in all seating positions, day and night. Wearing a seat belt on every trip, whether it’s short or long, is the most effective thing motorists can do to protect themselves in the event of a crash. Motorists are encouraged to always make the smart choice and to wear their seat belt. Troop D has investigated 7 fatal crashes resulting in 7 deaths this year. | |||
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