By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A Baton Rouge man was killed on Interstate 10 in St. John the Baptist Parish Wednesday when his vehicle drifted off the road and crashed into the trees, according to State Police.

Trooper Melissa Matey, spokeswoman for State Police Troop B, said the crash occurred around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday near milepost 199, which is just past the Belle Terre Boulevard interchange in LaPlace.

Investigators said a 2002 Toyota Camry, driven by James Blender, 58, of Baton Rouge, was traveling westbound on I-10 when it suddenly veered off the road for unknown reasons.

Matey said the vehicle struck several trees when it left the highway, then caught fire upon final impact.

She said authorities pronounced Blender dead on the scene. There were no other passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

Investigators are still trying to determine if speed or alcohol were factors in the crash. Matey said autopsy and toxicology reports from the State Police crime lab are still pending.