Covington, Louisiana - A single-vehicle crash on LA Highway 40 near Barker Road in St. Tammany Parish resulted in the death of a 64-year-old Covington resident, Houston Dutruch, on the morning of July 7, 2025. According to Louisiana State Police, troopers from Troop L responded to the scene at approximately 9:30 a.m. to find that a 1998 Ford F-800 truck, pulling a trailer and driven by Dutruch, had left the roadway for reasons that remain under investigation.

Preliminary reports indicate that the vehicle veered off the right side of the highway, where it struck a culvert and overturned, landing on its roof. Dutruch, who was confirmed to be wearing his seat belt at the time of the incident, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.

As part of the standard investigative procedure for fatal crashes, authorities obtained a routine toxicology sample from Dutruch for further analysis. The results are pending, and investigators continue to work to determine the cause of the crash. No other vehicles or individuals were reported to be involved in the incident.