Unrestrained driver killed in single vehicle crash
Published 10:36 am Monday, August 2, 2021
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Rapides Parish – On August 1, 2021, at approximately 4:20 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a single-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 488 east of Louisiana Highway 1199. This crash claimed the life of 47-year-old Winton D. Barton, of Elmer.
The initial investigation revealed a 1995 Dodge Pickup, driven by Barton, was traveling eastbound on Louisiana Highway 488. For reasons still under investigation, Barton exited the roadway, overcorrected and overturned his vehicle in the ditch.
Barton, who was unrestrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.
While not all crashes are survivable, statistics show that properly wearing your seat belt will dramatically reduce your chance of being injured or killed in a crash. Louisiana law requires that every person in a vehicle, regardless of seating position, always remain buckled up. Not wearing a seat belt remains the leading cause of death in motor vehicle crashes.
In 2021, Troop E Troopers have investigated 27 fatal crashes resulting in 28 fatalities.
