| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 3096 | 2015-08-08 | Troop D | Impairment and Lack of Seat Belt Use Lead to Death and Injury in Beauregard Parish Crash |
TROOP D NEWS RELEASE August 8, 2015 Impairment and Lack of Seat Belt Use Lead to Death and Injury in Beauregard Parish Crash SINGER, LA – One man is dead and another injured after an overnight crash in western Beauregard Parish. On August 7, 2015, shortly before midnight, Louisiana State Police Troop D responded to a single-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 110 about a mile east of Singer in Beauregard Parish. The preliminary investigation revealed a 1992 Cadillac Deville driven by 78-year-old Kenneth D. Holt of Leesville was traveling west on LA 110 when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle ran off the road in a curve. The vehicle traveled approximately 150 feet in a ditch before striking a large pine tree head-on. Holt was transported from the scene by air ambulance to a Lake Charles hospital where he later died. A front seat passenger in the vehicle, 27-year-old Frank D. Cooley of Singer, was transported to a Lake Charles hospital with moderate injuries. Neither was wearing a seat belt. Alcohol impairment on the part of Holt is suspected to be a factor in the crash. A toxicology sample was obtained from Holt and will be submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for analysis. The crash remains under investigation. Louisiana law requires vehicle occupants to be properly restrained in all seating positions, day and night. The decision not to take three seconds and buckle a seat belt before starting any trip, whether short or long, can affect not only the people in the vehicle but also for those who care about them. Motorists are encouraged to make the smart choice and to always wear their seat belt. In 2013, 63 percent of people who died in crashes investigated by Troop D were killed by an impaired driver. No one should ever drive impaired or get in a vehicle with an impaired driver. To report impaired drivers, motorists are encouraged to dial *LSP (*577) from their cellular phone to reach State Police or may dial 911 to contact the nearest law enforcement agency. Troop D has investigated 16 fatal crashes resulting in 17 fatalities this year. | |||
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