On a Monday evening in July, two drivers died within the same few hours, one in a burning tractor-trailer that left Interstate 12 near Holden and one in an overturned pickup on LA-415 in Pointe Coupee Parish. Neither crash has yet explained itself: State Police do not know why the truck veered from the road, and whether impairment or a missing seatbelt played a part remains open. The two events share nothing but their timing and their cost, and the state's troopers have answered them the way they always do, by asking drivers to slow down, stay sober, stay focused, and buckle up.
State Police Probe Two Fatal Crashes in Livingston and Pointe Coupee Parishes Monday Evening
Two drivers, Edward Mathis, 61, and Brenton Pickett, 39, died in separate crashes in Livingston and Pointe Coupee parishes.
Two drivers dead within the same Monday evening
On a Monday evening in July, two drivers died within the same few hours, one in a burning tractor-trailer that left Interstate 12 near Holden and one in an overturned pickup on LA-415 in Pointe Coupee Parish. Neither crash has yet explained itself: State Police do not know why the truck veered from the road, and whether impairment or a missing seatbelt played a part remains open. The two events share nothing but their timing and their cost, and the state's troopers have answered them the way they always do, by asking drivers to slow down, stay sober, stay focused, and buckle up.
Shortly before 7 p.m. on Monday, a tractor-trailer traveling on Interstate 12 in Holden, in Livingston Parish, left the roadway and plowed into several trees. The 18-wheeler burst into flames, and its driver, 61-year-old Edward Mathis of Dickinson, Texas, did not survive.
State Police do not yet know why he veered off the road. Investigators also could not immediately say whether Mathis had been impaired or was wearing a seatbelt, questions that are standard in any fatal crash inquiry but that the fire and force of the impact made difficult to answer at the scene.
The same evening, on LA-415 in neighboring Pointe Coupee Parish, Brenton Pickett, 39, of Livonia, was driving a Chevrolet Silverado when it left the road and overturned. He was not restrained and was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The two crashes were separate, involving different vehicles on different roads, and the reporting does not connect them. They share only the outcome: two drivers lost on one Monday evening.
Louisiana State Police used the moment to remind motorists to avoid impairment, fatigue and distractions, to follow traffic laws, and to make sure everyone in a vehicle is restrained. Investigations continue, and for the Holden crash the central questions remain why the truck left the interstate and whether impairment or a missing seatbelt played any role.
Shortly before 7 p.m. on Monday, a tractor-trailer traveling on Interstate 12 in Holden, in Livingston Parish, left the roadway and plowed into several trees. The crash happened around 6:45 p.m. The 18-wheeler was fully engulfed in flames, and its driver, 61-year-old Edward Mathis of Dickinson, Texas, died from his injuries.
State Police say they do not know why Mathis veered off the road. The reason for the departure remains unexplained in the early account of the crash.
The severity of the wreck also left basic questions open. Investigators could not immediately say whether Mathis had been impaired or whether he was wearing a seatbelt. Both are standard points in a fatal crash inquiry, and the fire and the force of the impact made them harder to settle at the scene.
The second fatal crash happened the same evening in neighboring Pointe Coupee Parish, on LA-415 at Driftwood Drive. Brenton Pickett, 39, of Livonia, was driving a Chevrolet Silverado along the highway when the truck left the road and overturned.
Pickett was not restrained, according to State Police, and was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The two crashes occurred in separate parishes and involved different kinds of vehicles. One was a commercial truck on an interstate and the other a pickup on a state highway. The source reporting does not link them. What they share is the outcome: two drivers dead within the same Monday evening.
Louisiana State Police used the occasion to repeat a familiar message to drivers. In a statement, troopers asked motorists to make responsible choices behind the wheel by avoiding impairment, fatigue and distractions, following traffic laws, and making sure everyone in a vehicle is properly restrained. They acknowledged that not every crash can be prevented, but said simple precautions like these can save lives.
Investigations into both crashes are continuing. For the Holden crash in particular, the open questions are why the truck left I-12, and whether impairment or a missing seatbelt played any role. Those answers will depend on what investigators can establish from the wreckage and the scene.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Troopers urged motorists to avoid impairment, fatigue and distractions, follow traffic laws, and make sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained.— Louisiana State Police
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