Authorities identified 80-year-old Joseph K Carriere, of Scott, as the man who lost his life following a head-on collision on April 27 in Lafayette Parish.
As per the initial information, officers quickly responded to the area of Louisiana Highway 98 (3400 block of Gloria Switch Rd) west of Louisiana Highway 93 just after 4:00 p.m. on reports of a two-vehicle crash. The early reports showed that a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado pickup, driven by Carriere, was heading east on LA 98.
On the other hand, a 2019 Bluebird school bus was heading west on LA 98. At some point of time, Carriere’s pickup went over the center line and crashed head-on into the school bus in the westbound lane for undetermined reasons. Officers found out that Carriere was buckled up at the time of the collision.
He suffered major injuries and was declared dead at the scene by the Lafayette Parish Coroner’s Office. The bus driver was also wearing a seatbelt at that time. The bus driver and four students were taken to local hospitals, all with minor to moderate injuries. Impairment, on the part of both drivers, is unclear at this time and blood samples have been given for analysis. No other details are immediately available.
An investigation in to the crash is ongoing.
April 28, 2022
Source: L’Observateur