DWI Arrest: Another Fatal Crash in St. Martin Parish Claims Life of Young Woman

On Tuesday, KPEL News reported on the death of 27-year-old Tyler Nicole Girard of Breaux Bridge after not stopping at a stop sign on Bourque Road led to a pickup truck hitting her. That impact sent her into a shed on private property.

That crash happened just before 8:00 p.m. on Monday night. Just a few hours later, around 2:00 a.m., another young woman was hit in a crash in St. Martin Parish. Louisiana State Police say the pedestrian victim - 20-year-old Ryelee A. Georgeson of Denham Springs - was struck just east of an abandoned Kia vehicle that was found in the middle eastbound lane of I-10 west of Breaux Bridge near mile marker 108. Georgeson was located on the opposite side of the eastbound lanes near the fog line after troopers say a pickup truck struck her then stopped on the inside shoulder. That abandoned Kia vehicle belonged to her and she was the sole occupant of it. That  vehicle was never hit during the crash; Georgeson was hit after she got out of the Kia.

Georgeson was hospitalized in critical condition then died later in the day. A toxicology sample was obtained for analysis and results are pending.

Meanwhile, the driver - 26-year-old Ben Latiolais of Arnaudville - was tested for intoxication. He is now in the St. Martin Parish Jail for DWI first offense after his breath sample indicated intoxication, according to State Police. The investigation continues.

It's been a deadly past few days as seven people have died in crashes investigated by State Troopers in Acadiana since Friday night.

Overall, 53 people have died in 47 fatal crashes across the Troop I Region during 2022.