If you drive about 70 miles east of Lake Charles, you will come to St. Landry Parish. Louisiana State Police say that is where a violent rear-end collision took place recently in which a man was killed and two people were injured.
State troopers said they believe that a 52-year-old Church Point man was driving impaired and was responsible for the crash. He was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular negligent injuring. He was also cited for refusing to submit to a chemical test to determine if he was impaired in the wreck on U.S. 190 that left a 66-year-old Eunice man dead.
Law enforcement officials said the 66-year-old was driving his SUV west on the highway when the Church Point man’s vehicle slammed into its rear end, sending it off the road and into a ditch, where it rolled over.
Though the Eunice man was wearing his seatbelt, he sustained fatal injuries in the collision. An adult passenger was in the front seat and three juveniles were in the back seat at the time of the wreck. The adult passenger and one of the juveniles were hospitalized after sustaining injuries described as moderate.
The suspected impaired driver was not injured, officials said.
Afterwards, the Louisiana State Police said, “time and time again, troopers witness preventable motor vehicle crashes.” They urge drivers not to consume alcohol before getting behind the wheel and they urge everyone else not to get into a vehicle with a drunk driver.
Unfortunately, drunk drivers are far too common. CBS News ranked Louisiana as the fifth worst state in the nation for drunk driving crashes, noting that records show we have 728 episodes of drunk driving per 1,000 residents.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by a drunk driver, speak with a Lake Charles law firm experienced in personal injury and wrongful death litigation.