SLIDELL, La. — A crash late Friday night in Slidell claimed the life of two people and left another in critical condition. It happened on what Slidell Police say is a dangerous underpass that has been the scene of tragedy before.
According to the Slidell Police Department, 40-year-old Jennifer Hemphill was driving northbound on Highway 11/Front Street with 39-year-old Joshua Williams in the passenger's seat. A little before 9 p.m, she drove onto the curved overpass that crosses the Norfolk Southern rail line. When she drove around the curve, she entered the southbound lane and hit a car coming the opposite direction head-on.
Williams died at the scene. Hemphill was taken to Slidell Memorial Hospital where she later died of her injuries. The driver of the other car, who has not been identified, was airlifted to UMC where he remains in critical condition.
None of the victims were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.
The overpass is known in the area for being dangerous. It is narrow with no shoulder on either side. “The bridge is very unforgiving,” said Slidell Police CAO Daniel Seuzeneau. “There is very little margin for error when you’re driving across this bridge.”
Social media comments on the WWL Louisiana Facebook page echoed this. Many viewers called the bridge “dangerous,” saying that “you have to be on your toes” when you cross it. Others who live in the neighborhood said they have had close calls on the bridge before.
27 years ago, something much worse happened.
According to a newspaper report from the time, a pregnant 17-year-old named Rachel Prejean was on her way to Slidell Memorial Hospital to give birth, when she was hit head-on by a drunk driver on the overpass. She survived, but her soon-to-be-born baby did not. Seuzeneau told WWL Louisiana the 1996 crash happened in exactly the same spot as Friday’s.
“There’s been a big push over the years to have this bridge replaced,” he said. “DOTD has been out here for many years now studying the bridge.”
A page on the Louisiana DOTD website from 2015 advertises a public meeting to discuss replacing the overpass. It is unclear whether anything came of it. It is not on the DOTD’s list of current projects.
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