Tragedy struck in Allen Parish this past Thursday when a young man lost his life after his vehicle was hit by a train. In an incident reported by the Louisiana State Police Troop D, 20-year-old Jashawn Lavan of Kinder was involved in a serious crash on the afternoon of Friday, involving his car and a train. The collision occurred at the railroad crossing on Liberty Cemetery Road, just north of U.S. Highway 190.
According to details from the Louisiana State Police, Lavan, driving a 2008 Honda Accord, had come to a stop on the tracks for reasons yet unclear. The approaching train could not avoid striking the left side of the vehicle, leading to the grievous injuries that led to Lavan's death days later in the hospital. After the crash, he was wearing a seatbelt, which points to the severity of the impact being too great for even proper restraints to prevent tragedy.
As routine demands in such cases, a toxicology sample was taken from Lavan and has been submitted for analysis to further investigate the circumstances of the crash.
The investigation into the crash remains ongoing, with updates expected to be issued by the state police as new information is unearthed.
