Two 16-year-old males were fatally injured in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 49 near the Carencro exit in Lafayette Parish early Sunday morning. State Trooper Thomas Gossen says the two-vehicle crash killed Jose Alvarez of Opelousas and his passenger Marlin Garcia of Church Point.
“A witness stated they possibly stopped on I-49 in the outside and were struck from behind by a box truck that was traveling north in the same lane.”
Gossen says a box truck heading north on I-49 struck Alvarez’s GMC Sierra from behind causing it to overturn in the median. The driver of the box truck was properly restrained and was not injured. He said the box truck driver displayed no signs of impairment.
“Toxicology results are pending. Those take several weeks to come in. The box truck driver did submit a breath sample which indicated no alcohol present but unfortunate situation either way.”
The wreck occurred at 3:30 in the morning. Gossen says based on Louisiana’s graduated driver’s license law, which prohibits 16-year-olds from driving between 11 PM and 5 AM, Alvarez should not have been driving at that time of night.
“16-year-old drivers are restricted from driving without an adult or a licensed individual. But these two 16-year-olds were not legal technically to be driving at 3:30 in the morning.”
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