LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / January 6, 1999

HAHNVILLE – Two New Year’s Eve accidents in St. Charles Parish claimedthe lives of four people, including two children.

Ora Brown Tolliver, 59, of Brookhaven, Miss., and two children died as theywere rear-seat passengers in a vehicle struck from behind on Interstate 10 at 10 p.m.A 1990 Plymouth Acclaim, driven by Robert Allen Jr., 34, of Brookhaven,was traveling slowly on the eastbound shoulder of I-10 in St. CharlesParish with a flat tire.

Also in the vehicle were Rhonda Beasley, 26, and her two children, Cedrica Daniels, 11, and Michael Beasley, 7, all of Brookhaven.

A 1994 GMC cargo van, driven by Danny Naor, 22, of Tel Aviv, Israel, struck the Plymouth from behind and the car burst into flame upon impact. Allenreceived serious injuries and Beasley, in the front seat, received minor injuries.

Naor was charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle and three counts of negligent homicide.

In another incident, Charles Wayne Davis, 40, of Harahan, died on River Road, St. Rose, when his westbound 1989 Nissan Sentra ran off theroadway to the right at 7:20 p.m.The car slid along the ditch and struck a pipe barrier surrounding a gas pipeline and overturned onto its left side.

Davis, who had to be extricated from his vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene by St. Charles Parish Assistant Coroner Craig Melancon.Davis was alone in the vehicle.

In another incident, three people were seriously injured in a two-vehicle accident on River Road in Taft.

Derrick A. Francis, 20, 308 Balboa St., Luling, was westbound on RiverRoad at 12:30 p.m., one mile west of Louisiana Highway 3142 nearWaterford 3.

As he was ascending the incline near Waterford he tried to pass a vehicle pulling a camper-trailer and instead struck an eastbound 1998 Ford Escort, driven by Sandy A. Darensbourg, 30, of 234 Killona Drive, Killona. The Hahnville VFD extricated both drivers with the Jaws of Life. Francis,Darensbourg and Darensbourg’s passenger, Natoya L. Turley, 24, of LaPlace,were all seriously injured and transported to St. Charles Parish Hospitalfor treatment.

Ironically, Louisiana State Trooper Ryan Eskine noted, the two drivers are first cousins.

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