Driver killed in fatal crash in parish
Published 3:32 pm Wednesday, July 12, 2017
An 81-year-old Mississippi man was killed early Wednesday morning in a crash in Washington Parish, according to Trooper Dustin Dwight of the Louisiana State Police.
Dwight, the public information officer for Troop L, said that at approximately 7:43 a.m. Wednesday, troopers from Troop L responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Louisiana Highway 25 at the intersection of Louisiana Highway 438. The crash claimed the life of Curtis Simmons, 81, of Tylertown, Miss.
Dwight said that the initial investigation led troopers to determine that the crash occurred as Simmons was driving a 2003 Chevrolet truck southbound on Highway 25. As Simmons was southbound, a 2003 Pontiac Grand-Am, driven by Joshua Cole Stinson, 35, of Tylertown, was traveling westbound on Highway 438. As Stinson approached the intersection of Highway 25, he failed to stop at the stop sign and crashed into the driver’s side of Simmons’ truck, Dwight said.
Following the impact, Simmons truck traveled off the right side of the roadway and collided with a culvert. Simmons was not restrained at the time of the crash and was ejected from his vehicle, Dwight said.
Simmons suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene by the Washington Parish Coroner’s Office.
Presently, impairment is not suspected to have been a contributing factor in this crash, Dwight said. As part of the investigation, blood samples were obtained from Simmons. The samples will be sent to the Louisiana State Police crime lab for analysis.
Stinson was properly restrained at the time of the crash and was uninjured. He provided troopers with a voluntary breath sample, which showed no amount of alcohol present, Dwight said.
Stinson was booked into the Washington Parish Jail for the charges of failure to stop at a stop sign, driving with an expired driver’s license and negligent homicide of Curtis Simmons. Stinson was also booked into the Washington Parish Jail on two failure to appear warrants in Washington Parish.
The investigation is ongoing and any additional charges will be referred to the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.