| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 5160 | 2021-06-08 | Troop F | Driver Charged with Vehicular Homicide in Ouachita Parish Crash |
TROOP F NEWS RELEASE June 8, 2021 Driver Charged with Vehicular Homicide in Ouachita Parish Crash Swartz – On June 7, 2021, shortly before 6:00 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop F responded to a three-vehicle fatal crash on LA Hwy 139 just south of LA Hwy 134. This crash claimed the life of 74-year-old Thomas Deaton Jr. of Danielsville, GA. The initial investigation revealed a 2003 GMC Sonoma, driven by 35-year-old Jorge Rodriguez-Zuniga of Bastrop, was traveling northbound on LA Hwy 139. For reasons still under investigation, Rodriguez-Zuniga crossed the center line and traveled into the path of a 2015 Yamaha motorcycle, driven by Deaton Jr. After impact, the GMC sideswiped a 2011 Saab. Deaton Jr., who was wearing an approved DOT helmet, was ejected from the motorcycle and pronounced at the scene. At the time of the crash, Rodriguez-Zuniga showed signs of impairment and was arrested. He was booked at Ouachita Correctional Center and charged with vehicular homicide and no driver’s license. A toxicology sample was obtained and submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation. Motorists must be reminded that alcohol has many effects on the body. If you feel different, you drive different. Alcohol can impair visual ability, alter sense of time and space, impair fine motor skills needed to operate a motor vehicle, and decrease reaction times. Just one drink may cause these effects. Whether impaired through alcohol or drugs, the consequences can be the same. In 2021, Troop F has investigated 24 fatal crashes resulting in 27 deaths. | |||
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