St. James Parish, Louisiana - In the early hours of December 9, Louisiana State Police Troop A initiated an investigation into a wrong-way driver, multi-vehicle collision on LA 3213 in St. James Parish, resulting in the tragic death of 66-year-old Earnest Bradley from Vacherie, Louisiana.
The initial findings indicate that at around 3:30 am, Bradley was driving a 2019 Honda Civic southbound in the northbound lane on LA 3213 (Veterans Memorial Bridge) when his vehicle collided with a 2024 International box truck traveling in the opposite direction. This impact caused Bradley's car to rotate before being struck from behind by a 2021 Ram 2500 also traveling north on LA 3213.
Regrettably, Bradley was not wearing a seatbelt at the time and succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The driver of the Ram was properly restrained, sustained minor injuries, and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, while the driver of the International truck was also wearing a seatbelt and unharmed.
As part of the ongoing investigation, a sample for toxicology analysis was collected from Bradley.
It is important to note that while not all crashes can be survived, statistics emphasize that wearing seatbelts significantly decreases the likelihood of injury or fatality in such incidents. Louisiana law mandates that all vehicle occupants must always wear seatbelts, regardless of their seating position.