Police are investigating a fatal crash in Starks involving a Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office patrol unit.
On May 16, 2020, shortly after 5:00 a.m., Louisiana State Police Troop D responded to a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Louisiana Highway 12 and Louisiana Highway 109 in Calcasieu Parish, according to Trooper Derek Senegal, spokesperson for Troop D. The crash, involving a Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office vehicle, resulted in the death of a 54-year-old Starks resident and minor injuries to the CPSO deputy.
Investigators say a 2017 Ford Explorer (CPSO vehicle) was traveling east on LA 12 when the driver of a 2007 Ford pickup truck traveling south on LA 109 failed to yield at a stop sign and entered the intersection resulting in a crash. The driver of the pickup truck, 54-year-old Paula R. Breaux Ortego of Starks, Louisiana, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Ford Explorer, an on-duty Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s deputy, was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries. Restraint use for both drivers remains part of the ongoing investigation, Senegal stated.
Routine toxicology samples were obtained from both drivers and will be submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.
Troop D has investigated 11 fatal crashes resulting in 13 deaths in 2020.
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