NEW ORLEANS — The driver involved in a deadly accident is now facing an upgraded charge after a bicyclist died from her injuries.
The accident that sent 49-year-old Erin Randall to the hospital happened on August 7 along St. Bernard Highway near Norton Avenue. Louisiana State Police reports said she was riding her bicycle southbound when for some reason, 26-year-old Wesley Ruffino veered off the road and hit her, Randall, on Tuesday.
“That’s always the toughest part about what we do and what we see on a daily basis: the death notifications; the families who will be grieving over something that 100 percent could’ve been avoided,” said Trooper Monroe Dillon.
So far in 2020, Troop B has investigated 415 DWI arrests, and it seems to be trending higher, Trooper Dillon said.
“A number like that is too high for us to see at all. It shows people are exercising poor judgment and failing to plan,” said Trooper Dillon.
Wesley Ruffino faces a charge of vehicular homicide, along with other violations.
The death of Erin Randall comes just days after several other crashes in which a driver was suspected to be under the influence. Saturday, a 63-year old cab driver was killed in Slidell when a suspected impaired driver crashed into his truck on Highway 190.
A few days prior, a suspected drunk driver crashed into a car being driven by a 17-year-old student driver. This also happened in Slidell. Some good Samaritans pulled her to safety, but she and her driving instructor suffered serious injuries. Slidell police said they’ll be increasing DUI patrols this weekend to try to prevent such crashes.
“They’re unexpected,. they’re permanent, and most of all they’re preventable,” said Trooper Dillon.
Authorities said losing a life in an accident is painful enough but knowing it’s preventable only deepens the sense of loss.
