DESOTO PARISH, La. – A pickup truck driver is dead after an overturned semi truck on a Louisana freeway caused a series of crashes.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning at approximately 4:30 a.m..
According to a news release from the Louisiana State Police (LSP), troopers responded to a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 49 near Louisiana Highway 177. The crash claimed the life of 50-year-old Lawrence Irchirl of Natchitoches.
Police said the preliminary investigation showed that a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer traveling north on Interstate 49 during reported dense fog conditions were involved in a crash, resulting in the tractor-trailer overturning on the roadway.
The crash subsequently began a series of additional crashes in the northbound lane of Interstate 49.
Authorities say moments later, a 2002 Ford F-350, driven by Irchirl, approached the location of the crash and collided with an 18-wheeler parked on the roadway and occupied by another motorist.
Irchirl sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Other drivers involved sustained minor injuries and receiving treatment at the scene. Impairment is not suspected; however, toxicology samples were taken and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
