Iowa, Louisiana Teen Dies after Being Ejected From Bed of Pickup Truck

Jefferson Davis Parish – On July 17, 2019, shortly after 12:15 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop D responded to a single-vehicle crash on Gro Racca Road near Willie Road in Jefferson Davis Parish that claimed the life of a teenage passenger.

The preliminary investigation revealed a 2000 Ford pickup truck was traveling east on Gro Racca Road when, for unknown reasons, the driver ran off the right side of the road causing the vehicle to overturn. A passenger riding in the bed of the pickup truck, 18-year-old Adam Wyatt Sandhoff of Iowa, Louisiana, was ejected from the vehicle. Sandhoff was transported to an area hospital with moderate injuries where he died later that evening.

The driver, whose name is not being released due to his age, was properly restrained at the time of the crash and was not injured. He was cited for careless operation and no driver’s license. The crash remains under investigation.

This crash highlights the dangers associated with riding in the bed of a pickup truck. Traveling on a roadway in the bed of a pickup truck is dangerous and is illegal on interstate highways and for passengers under the age of 12.

Troop D has investigated 19 fatal crashes resulting in 22 deaths in 2019.

Contact Information:
Trooper Derek Senegal
Louisiana State Police
Public Affairs Section–Troop D
Office: (337) 491-2519

Approximate location of accident