ALBANY — After four traffic deaths in one weekend on Interstate 12 near Albany, the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD) is reviewing data on past wrecks along that stretch of
interstate to see what factors they may have in common.
“Safety is our number one concern across the state. We are aware of the concerns and are gathering data to properly address those concerns,” DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallet said.
Three people died Sunday afternoon in a fiery crash after Jamie Pourciau drove up an exit ramp and onto the interstate the wrong way. His vehicle crashed head-on into a motorhome. Pourciau and his two passengers, Bailey Lassabe and her 9-year-old son Dominic, all died at the scene of the crash.
MORE: Three killed in wrong way crash on I-12 in Albany
MORE: Twin sister remembers her sister and nephew killed in I-12 triple fatal crash
Two days earlier, another wrong-way crash killed a Mississippi man in the same area. In that wreck, David Kilgore was heading east on the interstate when his car went across the median and into westbound traffic. The car hit an 18-wheeler and then a truck. Kilgore died a short time later at a hospital. His passenger had minor injuries. The other drivers were not injured.
MORE: Friday night crash leaves one dead on I-12
State Sen. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, sent a letter to DOTD Secretary Glenn Ledet asking for the agency to try to identify possible problems with the interstate in that area. She said another lawmaker had a friend die in a crash in the same area.
“Something is going on,” Hodges told UWK.
Hodges said she knows that long-term plans involve widening the interstate there, but hopes something can be found soon to help reduce crashes there.
Mallett said the safety section at DOTD is investigating.
Bailey Lassabe’s sister told UWK that Pourciau had been behaving erratically and she believes his actions were deliberate.
Hodges said he’s contacted Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard to request increased law enforcement attention to that spot, which he agreed to do.
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