Two residents of Sulphur, Louisiana, are dead and a 26-year-old driver is in jail after a rear-end crash on Louisiana Highway 389 near DeQuincy on the night of Thursday, October 30, according to a news release issued on October 31 by Louisiana State Police Troop D.
Source: Louisiana State Police Troop D news release
Troopers responded shortly after 9:00 p.m. to the two-vehicle crash on LA Highway 389, east of Hargrove Loop Road, in Calcasieu Parish. The crash claimed the lives of a 52-year-old woman and a 51-year-old man, both of Sulphur, State Police said.
Source: Louisiana State Police Troop D news release
How the crash happened, according to troopers
The preliminary investigation found that a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, driven by Dylan Havens, 26, was travelling west on Highway 389. Ahead of it, in the same direction, a 2016 Jeep SUV was also travelling west and was slowing to make a left turn into a private driveway. For reasons that are still under investigation, the Chevrolet struck the rear of the Jeep, State Police said. After the impact, both vehicles left the roadway.
The driver of the Jeep, a 51-year-old man, was properly restrained. He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died of his injuries. The passenger in the Jeep, a 52-year-old woman, was also properly restrained. She suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. State Police did not release the names of the two people who died in the announcement.
Impairment signs, a toxicology warrant, and an arrest
Havens was properly restrained and suffered minor injuries. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment. During the investigation, troopers say, Havens displayed signs of impairment and was arrested. Troopers obtained a search warrant, and a toxicology sample was collected from Havens and submitted for analysis. The results of that analysis have not been announced.
Following his release from hospital, Havens was booked into the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center on two counts of vehicular homicide, careless operation, and speeding, State Police said. The charges are allegations. Havens is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court, and the crash remains under investigation.
The Calcasieu Post reported that Havens was off duty at the time of the crash and is a Beauregard Parish Sheriff's deputy. Sheriff Mark Herford confirmed that Havens was off duty, expressed condolences to the victims' families, and said his department expects deputies to uphold higher standards of conduct even when they are not working.
Why a slowing, turning vehicle is one of the deadliest setups on a rural highway
Highway 389 east of Hargrove Loop Road is a rural two-lane road serving homes and driveways around DeQuincy, in the northwest corner of Calcasieu Parish near the Beauregard Parish line. On roads like this, a driver slowing to turn left into a driveway depends entirely on the driver behind noticing the slowdown in time. At night, with no street lighting, a following driver who is speeding or impaired has very little margin to react — which is why State Police framed this crash around impairment and speed, and why the booked charges include both vehicular homicide and speeding.
In its release, Louisiana State Police repeated its standard warning to motorists: “If you feel different, you drive different.” The agency said alcohol, prescription drugs and other drugs can impair visual ability, decrease reaction times and impair the fine motor skills needed to operate a motor vehicle, and it urged motorists to plan ahead and designate a sober driver. “Not doing so can have deadly consequences,” the release said.
Source: Louisiana State Police Troop D news release
What happens next
The investigation by Troop D is continuing, and the toxicology results are still pending. Havens now faces the court process in Calcasieu Parish on the two vehicular-homicide counts and the accompanying careless-operation and speeding charges. KLFY's Louisiana First News, which also reported the crash and the charges on November 1, said the crash remains under investigation. Troop D's public affairs contact for the case is Trooper Roy Jones, at (337) 491-2511.
Source: KLFY — Louisiana First News
For the two Sulphur families, the unanswered question is the one troopers say they are still working on: why the Silverado did not slow down behind a Jeep that was turning into a driveway on a straight stretch of rural highway. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when State Police release the victims' names, the toxicology findings, or the next court date.