Two people have died in a crash on Interstate 10.
State Police say the crash happened near Vinton in Calcaiseu Parish at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
The passenger in the vehicle, Vergeus Termorillus, 61, of Orlando, died. The driver also died, but hasn't been identified pending notification of next of ken. Two other passengers were ejected and sustained life-threatening injuries. Four other people sustained moderate injuries, troopers at Troop D say.
The crash happened when a 1999 Chevrolet SUV was traveling east on I-10 with eight people riding in it. The vehicle had a "tire failure" that caused the driver to lose control. The SUV traveled off the left side of the road, entered the center median, then rolled several times, troopers say.
Four occupants were ejected. The driver was wearing a seat belt, but died at the scene. Termorillus wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was one of the four ejected from the SUV, troopers say. The two other critically injured passengers also were no wearing seat belts, troopers say.
The other four passengers sustained minor to moderate injuries and were also transported to area hospitals for treatment. A toxicology sample was obtained from the driver and will be submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.
Troopers say: "While not all crashes are survivable, proper use of seat belts can greatly decrease an occupant’s chance of death and may greatly reduce the extent of injury. Louisiana law requires every vehicle occupant, front seat and back seat, to be properly restrained day or night."
Troop D has investigated 27 fatal crashes resulting in 32 deaths.
