A 28-year-old woman from Abbeville died early Halloween morning when another car slammed into the back of hers on a rural highway near Duson, and the driver who hit her is jailed on a vehicular homicide charge, according to Louisiana State Police.
Troopers from Troop I were called just after midnight on Saturday, Oct. 31, to a two-vehicle wreck on LA 343 at Ridge Road in Lafayette Parish, the agency said in a news release.
What troopers say happened
The Abbeville woman was driving a 2014 Kia Optima south on LA 343 and slowing down for the stop sign at Ridge Road, according to the State Police. A 2011 Buick LaCrosse was headed the same direction behind her. Troopers say the Buick never slowed and rear-ended the Kia. They have not said why.
The woman was not wearing a seat belt, according to the release. She died at the scene. As is routine in fatal crashes, troopers took a toxicology sample from her for testing.
State Police have not released her name. The Vermilion Times does not name crash victims unless their families or officials make the name public.
The arrest
The Buick’s driver, Shawnta Davis-Ned, 40, of Rayne, was not hurt. She was also unbuckled, troopers said. A breath test showed her blood alcohol concentration was over the legal limit, according to the State Police, which did not give the number.
Davis-Ned was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on charges of:
- Vehicular homicide
- First-offense driving while impaired
- Careless operation
- Not wearing a seat belt
An arrest is an accusation, not a conviction. The crash remains under investigation.
A reminder from troopers
The State Police used the release to urge drivers to plan a sober ride. Alcohol, prescription drugs and other drugs slow reaction time and dull the vision and coordination a driver needs, the agency said. Its message: “if you feel different, you drive different.”
The State Police’s Troop I public affairs office can be reached at 337-262-5880.