A routine Saturday night drive in the Tchefuncta Club Estates neighborhood near Covington ended in tragedy when an SUV ran off the road, slammed into a tree stump and burst into flames. The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. on Oaklawn Drive near Pine Crest Drive, where deputies pronounced the lone driver dead at the scene. The cause of the wreck is still under investigation.
What Deputies Reported
According to WDSU, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to Oaklawn Drive near Pine Crest Drive at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday for a report of a single-vehicle crash. The outlet reports the SUV left the roadway for an unknown reason, entered a ditch, hit a tree stump and then caught fire. The sheriff’s office told WDSU that no additional information is available at this time.
How Investigators Typically Proceed
Investigations of fatal single-vehicle crashes usually involve on-scene reconstruction, evidence collection and routine toxicology testing, the Louisiana State Police note. Those steps often take days or even weeks while samples are processed and reports are completed.
What Authorities Are Asking From The Public
Anyone who saw the crash or has information that could help the investigation is urged to contact the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. WDSU reports that deputies are leading the probe. Local officials have not yet released the driver’s identity, the station adds, as authorities are still working to notify next of kin.
