30-Year-Old Unrestrained Louisiana Woman Dies, 2 Unrestrained Children Injured in Single-Vehicle Crash on U.S. Highway 80

Calhoun, Louisiana - An unrestrained Louisiana woman was killed in a single-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 80 in Calhoun, Louisiana, while two unrestrained juvenile passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

On December 9, 2022, Louisiana State Police reported that LSP Troop F responded to a single-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 80 west of Laney Crocker Road soon after 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 8, 2022. This collision took the life of Samantha F. Simon, age 30, of Calhoun, Louisiana.

The early inquiry found that Simon was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Equinox westbound on U.S. Highway 80. The Chevrolet exited the route and collided with a tree for reasons still under investigation.

Simon, who was not restrained, sustained fatal injuries, and the Ouachita Parish Coroner's Office ruled her dead at the scene of the crash. Two unrestrained minors that were also in the vehicle were transferred to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The toxicological sample was collected and submitted for analysis. This incident is still under investigation.

Troopers would want to remind motorists that buckling up is the most effective method of protection in the event of a collision. Failure to take a few seconds to fasten one's seatbelt can have catastrophic effects. Day or night, Louisiana law mandates that everyone in a vehicle, regardless of sitting position, must be securely restrained.

30 fatal crashes have been investigated by Troop F so far in 2022, resulting in 33 deaths.