Teenager Dies in Crash on I-49 in St. Landry Parish

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL) - Officials with Louisiana State Police say they are investigating another fatal crash this year.

The latest crash happened Monday night on Interstate 49. State Police Troop I Spokesman Thomas Gossen says an unlicensed 17-year-old girl named Jaquanta T. Jason was driving down I-49 at a high rate of speed.

Gossen says the young woman slammed into the back of an 18-wheeler cane truck. This happened at around 9 o'clock Monday night.

Officials with the coroner's office pronounced the young woman died at the scene. This fatal crash happened on I-49 southbound near mile marker 22.

The investigation into what happened is ongoing at this time.

There have been eight deaths in seven crashes just in the first three weeks of 2023. Monday morning a man lost control of his truck while driving down South Lewis Street.

For some reason, the man's truck went off of the roadway, flipped, and ended up in a canal.

The truck was then submerged, upside down in that canal. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sunday there was also a fatal crash on Riceland Road near Ridge Road in Lafayette Parish. The collision involved a utility vehicle which is not allowed on a public street.

The man driving the UTV died at the scene after his utility vehicle was hit from behind by a car on the roadway.

Trooper Thomas Gossen says it can be easy to think that because you are near a property you are familiar with, everything will be okay. Officials remind you that utility vehicles are only meant for off-road driving.

List of Homicides and Deaths in Acadiana for 2022

There have been multiple homicides in Acadiana for 2022. The following is a list, by parish, of each of the homicides and deaths that have happened so far this year. It is astounding the number of deaths in our area this year. Multiple deaths due to shootings have happened this year along with several hit-and-run deaths.

Armed Robberies Across Acadiana in 2022

Of the crimes that have headlined 2022, armed robberies have been among the most prevalent.

Armed robberies - as they become more prevalent in a community - steal peace from the citizens who live there. These crimes may start out as a thief trying to steal from the victim but many times that thief turns into a murderer when that weapon is actually used.

Let's take a look at headline-catching cases involving armed robbery in 2022.