On Sunday, July 3, an officer with the Sterlington Police Department was killed when an impaired driver hit him and his vehicle during a traffic stop. The fatal crash happened before 5 a.m. on Highway 165, and two other officers were injured as well.
Louisiana State Police were called to the scene of the accident. Upon their initial investigation, they determined that three police officers had stopped another driver in the shoulder of Highway 165 south. One officer stood between the back of his vehicle and the fog line while interviewing the subject. Then, a 2014 GMC Sierra traveled over the fog line and crashed into him, his vehicle and two other officers.
The Ouachita Parish Coroner’s Office announced at the scene the death of the officer conducting the interview. The other two officers remained unidentified when LSP gave their initial report. They were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. LSP determined the 44-year-old male driver of the GMC was impaired at the time of the accident, but they did not indicate whether the impairment was the result of alcohol, drugs or both. They arrested the man and charged him with vehicle negligent injury, vehicular homicide, not moving over for an emergency vehicle and improper lane usage.
Car accidents involving impaired drivers can cause catastrophic injuries to others who are on the road. Injured victims may want to have the assistance of experienced counsel when seeking compensation from the at-fault motorist. In the event that injuries prove fatal, an attorney could represent the surviving family members in a wrongful death suit.
