ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / March 29, 2000

LAPLACE – A young woman died and another was critically injured in an accident Tuesday morning.

According to Trooper Kevin Cannatella of the Louisiana State Police, two unidentified females were northbound on the on ramp at the Belle Terre Boulevard entrance to westbound I-10 at 7:46 a.m., when their 1996 greenFord Mustang failed to negotiate the curve in the road. The car went intothe grassy embankment and slammed into a tree.

Cannatella said, “Once they hit that wet grass, the car just slid right into the tree.”The driver was pronounced dead on the scene by St. John Parish Coroner Dr.Christy Montegut. The passenger was rushed to River Parishes Hospital.Cannatella said she suffered from massive head and body injuries, and the hospital had listed her condition as critical.

The Mustang had Texas license plates, but Cannatella would not speculate whether the two women were from out of state or give their identities until the families are notified. All Cannetella would say is they were two whitefemales between the ages of 18 and 20.

State police don’t know if the women were wearing seat belts or if air bags were deployed. However, Cannetella said air bags would not have saved them.”They sideswiped the tree at such force that the bags probably didn’t deploy, and if they had, they would not have helped,” said Cannatella.

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