Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana - On July 19, 2024, at approximately 4:30 a.m., Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a tragic one-vehicle crash on Dewey Bernard Road, located near Louisiana Highway 115. The incident resulted in the death of 62-year-old Joseph McGee from Bunkie, Louisiana.

Preliminary investigations indicate that McGee was driving a 2010 Jaguar westbound on Dewey Bernard Road when, for reasons that remain unclear, he veered off the roadway. The vehicle traveled down an embankment adjacent to a ditch and began to overturn. During this sequence of events, McGee was ejected from the vehicle. Louisiana State Police indicated that McGee was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

Emergency responders pronounced McGee dead at the scene after he sustained critical injuries from the crash. Routine toxicology samples were collected and will be submitted for analysis as part of the ongoing investigation. Authorities are still looking into the circumstances that led to this tragic incident.

Law enforcement officials stress the importance of seat belt use, highlighting that while not all crashes are survivable, wearing a seat belt significantly increases a person's chances of survival and can reduce the severity of injuries. Ensuring that every occupant in a vehicle is properly restrained is a crucial safety measure that can often make a life-saving difference.

As of now, Troop E has investigated a total of 34 fatal crashes in 2024, resulting in 38 fatalities.