Two travellers from Ohio were killed late on Friday night, November 6, on Interstate 12 in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, in a multi-vehicle crash that began in the eastbound lanes, crossed the cable median and ended in the westbound lanes in the path of a tractor-trailer, Louisiana State Police said. A 24-year-old driver from Amite City was arrested after troopers say he was determined to be impaired.
Source: Louisiana State Police (via EIN Presswire)
Troopers with Louisiana State Police Troop A began investigating the crash at around 11:20 p.m. on November 6 on I-12 near LA 43, in the Albany area of Livingston Parish, east of Baton Rouge. The crash claimed the lives of a 54-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man, both from Beavercreek, Ohio, and led to the arrest of Daniel Dennison, 24, of Amite City, according to the state police release, which was also reported by Louisiana First News and The Trucker.
Source: Louisiana First News
What troopers say happened, lane by lane
The preliminary investigation found that a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze, driven by Dennison, was travelling eastbound on I-12, east of LA 43, in the right lane. At the same time, a 2024 Mercedes Sprinter van was travelling eastbound in the left lane, alongside the Chevrolet, police said.
For reasons still under investigation, the Chevrolet entered the left lane directly into the Mercedes' path before continuing into the median. The Mercedes also entered the median. Both vehicles struck the cable barriers, causing the Chevrolet to come to a stop, police said.
The Mercedes overturned and continued beyond the cable barriers into the westbound lanes of I-12, directly into the path of a 2018 Kenworth tractor-trailer travelling westbound. The Kenworth then struck the Mercedes, according to the release.
Source: AN17 / Louisiana State Police
Who was hurt, and who was restrained
The female driver of the Mercedes was properly restrained, while her male passenger was unrestrained. Both suffered fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased at the scene, police said. Their names were not released in the state police statement reviewed for this report.
The driver of the Kenworth was properly restrained and its passenger was unrestrained. Both suffered minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Dennison was unrestrained, sustained minor injuries and was also transported to a local hospital, police said.
The arrest and the charges — allegations, not a verdict
During the investigation, Dennison was determined to be impaired and was subsequently arrested, police said. After being cleared from the hospital, he was booked into the Livingston Parish Jail for careless operation, driving while impaired (first offence), vehicular homicide (two counts), simple possession of marijuana, no seatbelt and no insurance, according to the release.
Source: The Trucker / Louisiana State Police
Those booking charges are allegations. An arrest and booking are not a conviction, and Dennison is entitled to answer the charges in court. Routine toxicology samples were collected from all drivers and submitted for analysis, police said, and the results of those samples were not reported in the release. This crash remains under investigation.
Louisiana State Police used the release to repeat its impaired-driving warning: “if you feel different, you drive different.” Alcohol, prescription drugs and other drugs can impair vision, slow reaction times and reduce the fine motor skills needed to operate a motor vehicle, the agency said, urging motorists to plan ahead and designate a sober driver.
Why this corridor matters for truckers and through travellers
I-12 is one of Louisiana's main east-west interstates, carrying heavy car and truck traffic across the Florida Parishes between Baton Rouge, Hammond and Slidell, where it connects toward I-10. A crash that starts in one direction of travel and finishes in the oncoming lanes is the kind of cross-median collision cable barriers are installed to prevent or slow — in this case, police say both eastbound vehicles struck the barriers, the Chevrolet stopped, and the Mercedes overturned and continued beyond them into westbound traffic.
For the Punjabi and other long-haul truckers who run I-12, I-10 and I-20 across Louisiana overnight, the sequence in the troopers' account is a familiar risk: a late-night lane movement beside a van, a median crossing, and a westbound tractor-trailer with no time or room to avoid a vehicle appearing in its path. The Kenworth's driver and passenger survived with minor injuries, police said.
What happens next
The investigation by Troop A is continuing, toxicology results are pending, and no court date for Dennison was given in the state police release. Any further findings — including why the Chevrolet moved into the left lane, in the words of the release, “for reasons still under investigation” — will come from that investigation and from proceedings in Livingston Parish on the booked charges.