| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 7921 | 2015-10-13 | Troop L | Wrong Direction Crash Claims the Life of Mississippi Resident |
Troop L - NEWS RELEASE October 6th, 2015 Wrong Direction Crash Claims the Life of Mississippi Resident Hammond, LA-Shortly before 1:00 AM this morning, Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop L responded to a two vehicle head-on crash on Interstate 55 near Interstate 12 in Hammond, LA. The crash claimed the life of a Mississippi resident. Troopers are withholding the name of the deceased until proper notification can be made to the next of kin. Crash scene investigators determined a Nissan Altima was traveling northbound in the left southbound lane of Interstate 55. At the same time, a Nissan pick-up driven by 23 year-old Kaden Marcus Ezell of Bogue Chitto, MS was traveling southbound on Interstate 55 in the left lane. The two vehicles crashed head-on. The driver of the Altima was unrestrained at the time of the crash. She sustained severe injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene by the Tangipahoa Parish Coroner’s Office. Ezell was properly restrained at the time of the crash. He sustained moderate injuries and was transported to Northoaks Hospital. Presently, impairment is not suspected to have been a factor in this crash. However, blood samples were obtained from both drivers and will be submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for analysis. A head-on crash on the Interstate often results in serious injury and sometimes death. Certainly, this crash remains under investigation, but we would like to share some tips to make yourself safer behind the wheel should you end up facing a wrong direction driver or become disoriented and enter in the wrong direction. These tips were originally shared at www.safeamerica.org. Swerve to the right – When trying to avoid a wrong way driver, swerve to the right. Many of the wrong-way drivers get on the freeways and immediately go all the way to the right side of the freeway, or the fast lane, because they think it is the slow lane. And because they are most likely impaired, they don’t want to get pulled over for speeding. Heads up – Look up, look ahead, and scan the freeway. People tend to look no further than a couple of hundred feet ahead of them. You can easily look ahead at least a quarter of a mile during light traffic and give yourself time to see the danger coming. Show your intentions – There are three common reasons why people drive on the wrong-side of the road: driving under the influence of an impairing substance like alcohol or sleeping pills, inexperience and lack of mental alertness. In each of these cases, if you have the time, try to be as clear as possible with your signal lights as to your intentions. Buckle-up & look out for the safety of others – The majority of crashes involving wrong way drivers re head on collisions and side-swipes. In these types of crashes, the difference between whether you survive and the extent to which you escape severe injury depends considerable on if you are wearing your seatbelt. If you have a cell phone in your car (and you should), pull over as soon as possible after avoiding the wrong-way driver and call 911 to report the situation. Give the dispatcher the license plate number, a description of the vehicle, and location and direction of travel. Quick! What color are reflectors on the road? – Did you answer white or yellow? That’s good, it means you’re driving the correct direction on the road. A lot of road reflectors used currently are duel colored, white on one side and red on the other. Most people don’t know this though, as they rarely are on the wrong side of the road. So, if you are seeing red reflectors on the road, it’s you who is on the wrong side; stop and turn around. Contact Information: TFC Dustin Dwight | |||
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