MATHEWS, La. — Two people died after five cars crashed in Lafourche Parish Friday night, a spokesperson with Louisiana State Police said.
A 32-year-old Metairie woman, Maria Deborah Benitez-Munoz died at the scene, according to the Lafourche Parish Coroner's Office.
The second person killed by the collision was driving a pickup truck was 57-year-old Eugene Hall from Lockport.
First reports from LSP said a pickup truck was heading south on Louisiana Highway 308 when it crossed the centerline into oncoming traffic.
The truck sideswiped a car, before crashing into a minivan driven by Benitez-Munoz. The collision with the minivan caused extensive damage, LSP troopers said.
Despite wearing a seat belt, Benitez-Munoz was killed in the accident.
The minivan was then rear-ended by another pickup truck and an SUV, LSP reports said. Both vehicles were heading north behind the minivan.
"Toxicology samples were obtained from the drivers for analysis," LSP Sgt. James Anderson wrote in a release. "The crash remains under investigation."
The report from LSP did not include the number of people hurt in the collision, but it said other people hurt in the collision were taken to the hospital for emergency medical treatment.
"Some crashes are unavoidable," Anderson wrote. "However, allowing plenty of following distance between vehicles can mean the difference between being involved in a crash or avoiding one."
LSP Troop C, which covers Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, and the west banks of St. James and St. John parishes, has investigated 29 fatal crashes so far in 2021. The crashes have taken 34 lives.