Ossun, Louisiana - A 65-year-old Houma, Louisiana man lost his life Friday morning when he was struck by a vehicle while attempting to remove an object from a highway in Lafayette Parish, according to Louisiana State Police.

Mark Darsey, 65, of Houma, Louisiana was fatally injured on March 21, 2025, shortly after 7:00 a.m. on Louisiana Highway 98 near Mills Street. Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop I arrived at the scene to investigate the fatal pedestrian crash.

According to the preliminary investigation, Darsey had exited his vehicle and walked into the eastbound lane of LA Highway 98 to clear a large item from the roadway. While he was in the travel lane, a 2023 Mazda CX-5 traveling eastbound struck him.

For reasons still under investigation, the Mazda struck Darsey. The impact proved fatal, and Darsey was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Mazda CX-5, whose identity has not been released, was properly restrained and emerged from the crash uninjured. During their investigation, troopers observed no signs of impairment in the Mazda driver. The driver voluntarily submitted to a breath test, which showed results below the legal limit.

As is standard procedure in fatal crashes, authorities collected a routine toxicology sample from Darsey, which has been submitted for analysis.

Motorists are reminded to exercise extreme caution when exiting vehicles near roadways.