DeSoto Parish – On October 14, 2020, shortly after 7:45 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop G responded to a two-vehicle, fatal crash on U.S. Highway 84 east of Louisiana Highway 510. This crash killed 85-year-old Edward Evans of Mansfield.  

 

The initial investigation revealed a 1999 Ford pickup truck, driven by Evans, was traveling eastbound on U.S. Highway 84. For reasons still under investigation, Evans’ vehicle crossed the centerline and struck a westbound 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck head-on. The driver of the Dodge, who was properly restrained, sustained minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

 

Evans, who was unrestrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead. Impairment is a suspected factor in this crash. Toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.

 

Louisiana State Police would like to remind all motorists that if you feel differently, you drive differently. Alcohol, prescription drugs, and other drugs have many effects on the body that negatively affect driving skills. These drugs can impair visual ability, alter the sense of time and space, impair fine motor skills needed to operate a motor vehicle, and decrease reaction times. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and designate a sober driver. Not doing so can have deadly consequences.

 

Buckling up is the most effective way to protect yourself during a vehicle crash. Failure to take a few seconds to buckle up can have devastating consequences. Louisiana law requires every person in a vehicle, regardless of seating position, to be properly restrained day or night.

 

In 2020, Troop G has investigated 22 fatal crashes resulting in 25 deaths.