We have an update on the crash that closed Interstate 10 westbound for several hours Wednesday afternoon.
State Police say that Wayne Leroy Kales, 45, of Marietta, Georgia, died in the crash.
It happened near mile post 106 in Lafayette Parish around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Troopers say their initial investigation showed that Kales was driving an 18-wheeler west when the rig ran off the road to the right, hit a tree and began to burn.
They say they don't know if he was wearing a seat belt, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A toxicology sample was obtained for analysis and this crash remains under investigation.
Troop I has investigated 34 fatal crashes resulting in 39 deaths in 2023.
