ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / September 15, 1999

LAPLACE – Three traffic accidents in St. John Parish this weekend resultedin two deaths and two serious injuries.

Of the three, the most tragic accident involved the deaths of a 29-year old pregnant woman from Reserve and her unborn child in a two-car traffic accident Saturday evening on Louisiana Highway 44 in Reserve.

According to the Louisiana State Police, Mary Ann Landry, who was eight months pregnant, was driving her Nissan Sentra east-bound on La. 44 nearthe Dupont Chemical plant when she lost control of her vehicle and went off the road onto the grassy shoulder.

She swerved back onto the highway and went across the road into the path of a west-bound car driven by Terren Cook of Reserve.

Landry tried to get back into her lane, but she struck the front left of Cook’s Chevrolet. The force of the collision ejected Landry from her car. State Police say she was not wearing her seatbelt.

Landry, and her passenger, Mary Maurin of LaPlace, were rushed to River Parishes Hospital where Dr. Rusty Cook pronounced Landry and her childdead at 6:50 p.m. Maurin was treated and released. Cook had minor injuriesand was released at the scene of the accident.

State police do not know why Landry lost control of her car and the investigation is ongoing.

Earlier that day, a Baton Rouge woman sustained serious injuries in the early morning hours when her car veered off Interstate 10 into the tree line at milepost 207 halfway between Reserve and LaPlace.

State police say that 28-year old Krista Smith was traveling westbound on I-10 when she lost control of her Isuzu Rodeo and went into the trees.

Smith was transported to River Parishes Hospital for preliminary treatment. Because of the nature of her injuries, she was transferred toCharity Hospital in New Orleans, where she is listed in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit.

Blood tests are pending, and Smith has been charged with DWI and reckless driving.

Finally, a hit-and-run accident seriously injured a bicyclist from Montz Sunday evening.

The collision, which occurred on River Road in LaPlace, involved an unidentified car and a mountain bike driven by 29-year old Kurt Falterman.

Riding as passenger on the bicycle was 39-year old William Joseph, also of Montz.

According to state police, the car came up behind the bike, slammed on its brakes and slid into the back of the bicycle, throwing Falterman and Joseph onto the ground. The automobile then fled the scene.The two men were taken to River Parishes Hospital where Falterman underwent surgery and is still listed in critical condition. Joseph wastreated and released.

No description of the hit-and-run vehicle could be given by either of the injured men, but state police said the right-side mirror of the car was knocked off in the accident.

Anyone with information on the car and the accident is asked to call the state police at 471-2775 or the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Department at652-9513.

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