| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 909 | 2008-11-10 | Troop A | Unrestrained Driver Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash in Livingston Parish |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent TROOP A - NEWS RELEASE Unrestrained Driver Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash in Livingston Parish BATON ROUGE – On November 9, 2008 at 11:08 a.m., Louisiana State Police Troop A began investigating a single-vehicle fatal crash on LA 1025 east of LA 16 in Livingston Parish. Luis Avarez (H/M, age 19) of Denham Springs was driving a 1997 Honda Civic west on LA 1025 when he entered into a right curve, lost control of the vehicle, and ran off the roadway to the right. The vehicle struck the ditch along the edge of the roadway and began to roll over. Avarez was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, was ejected from the vehicle, and died because of his injuries. Witnesses on the scene said that immediately before the crash occurred, Avarez was passing in a no passing zone before he entered the right curve at an excessive speed. There were three additional occupants in the vehicle when the crash occurred. The front passenger, a 16-year-old Hispanic male, was not wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred and was injured in the crash. The two rear seat passengers, 13-year-old and 10-year-old Hispanic males were properly restrained and suffered minor to moderate injuries in the crash. Acadian Ambulance transported all three passengers to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. Alcohol is not suspected to have been a factor in the crash; however, blood has been taken from the driver and submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for chemical analysis. Louisiana State Police continues to see a troubling problem here and around the state with the lack of seatbelt use. Wearing a seatbelt greatly improves chances of survival in crashes and greatly decreases the risk of serious injuries to the person not wearing the seatbelt as well as any other occupants or bystanders involved in a crash. While seatbelt use is on the rise in Louisiana and around the country, Troopers will continue to strictly enforce Louisiana’s Primary Seatbelt Law in an effort to continue to reduce the alarming number of deaths and serious injuries sustained by unrestrained drivers and occupants involved in crashes. For more information contact: Tpr Russell G. Graham II Public Affairs Unit Louisiana State Police – Troop A Office: (225) 754-8524 russell.graham@dps.la.gov www.LSP.org | |||
| No attachments for this article. | |||