Hammond, Louisiana - Louisiana State Police are investigating a fatal crash that claimed the life of a pedestrian on Interstate 55 in Tangipahoa Parish early Monday morning.

Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop L responded to the scene near LA Hwy 40 at approximately 3:00 a.m. on October 27, 2025. The crash involved two vehicles and a pedestrian traveling in the roadway.

According to the preliminary investigation, a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe was traveling northbound on Interstate 55 in the left lane when the driver struck a pedestrian who was also walking northbound in the left lane. Investigators have not yet determined why the pedestrian was in the roadway at the time of the initial impact.

Following the first collision and before emergency personnel could reach the scene, a 2020 Freightliner traveling northbound on Interstate 55 also struck the pedestrian.

The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are withholding the victim's identity pending notification of next of kin.

Neither the driver of the Hyundai Santa Fe nor the driver of the Freightliner sustained injuries in the crash. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the incident, according to state police.

As part of standard protocol in fatal crashes, Louisiana State Police collected routine toxicology samples from both drivers and the pedestrian for analysis. The results of those tests are pending.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash remains ongoing. State police have not released additional details about what led the pedestrian to be walking in the left lane of the interstate during the early morning hours.

Interstate 55 serves as a major north-south corridor through southeastern Louisiana, connecting New Orleans to Jackson, Mississippi. The section of highway where the crash occurred runs through Tangipahoa Parish, approximately 50 miles north of New Orleans.