A 40-year-old Des Allemands man was killed early Wednesday after being struck by a car while walking in the westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 90 in St. Charles Parish. Hubert Matherne III was pronounced dead at the scene near Carlon Drive, according to state troopers investigating the 3:30 a.m. crash.
According to a press release from the Louisiana State Police, Matherne was walking in the roadway when a 2020 Chevrolet Traverse traveling west on Highway 90 struck him in the right lane. He was wearing light-colored clothing at the time, troopers said, and suffered fatal injuries at the scene, as first reported by WGNO.
The driver of the Traverse was wearing a seat belt and was not injured. State police said they do not suspect impairment played a role in the crash, though routine toxicology samples were collected from both parties for analysis, a standard step in Louisiana fatal crash investigations. The collision remains under investigation, and no additional details about how Matherne came to be walking in the travel lanes have been released.
Community Plans Candlelight Vigil for “Dougie”
Matherne, known locally by the nickname “Dougie,” was a Des Allemands native, and his death has rattled the small bayou community he called home. Family and neighbors are organizing a candlelight vigil for Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Little Bridge in Des Allemands, according to the same report.
The gathering reflects how tightly-knit towns along the Highway 90 corridor tend to respond to sudden roadway tragedies, with informal memorials often springing up near the site of a loss rather than waiting for a lengthy investigation to conclude.
What Louisiana Law Requires of Pedestrians and Drivers
Louisiana law lays out clear expectations for pedestrians navigating highways without sidewalks. Under Louisiana Revised Statute § 32:216, pedestrians walking along a road with no sidewalk are required to walk on the left side or shoulder, facing oncoming traffic, whenever practical, according to Justia Law.
At the same time, motorists carry their own continuous legal duty. Louisiana Revised Statute § 32:214 requires every driver to exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian on a roadway, including maintaining a lookout and sounding a horn when necessary, per the same statutory guidance. It remains unclear from the available investigation details which side of the roadway Matherne was on or whether either statute factors into troopers' ongoing review.
Part of a Rising Statewide Trend
Matherne's death adds to a troubling pattern playing out across Louisiana's highways. Severe pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorcyclist crashes in the state increased in 2026 compared to the previous year, contributing to nearly 1,000 pedestrian fatalities statewide over the past six years, according to data from LSU's Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety reported by WBRZ.
In 2023 alone, 147 pedestrians were killed and 1,234 were injured on Louisiana roadways, with alcohol involved in roughly 34% of those fatalities, per figures from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. Nationally, the risks skew heavily toward darkness: research from the Governors Highway Safety Association found that about 77% of pedestrian fatalities occur after dark, and two-thirds happen on roads without sidewalk infrastructure. U.S. pedestrian deaths reached 7,080 in 2024, representing 18% of all traffic fatalities and a 72% increase since 2009, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Another Fatal Crash on the Same Corridor
Wednesday's crash marks at least the second predawn pedestrian death investigated by State Police Troop B along the Highway 90 corridor this year. In June, troopers investigated a similar fatal incident in neighboring Jefferson Parish, when a pedestrian crossing dark lanes of the Westbank Expressway was struck by two vehicles in Marrero.
No charges have been announced in connection with Matherne's death, and the investigation remains active. State police have not indicated when toxicology results are expected or whether they will change the current assessment that impairment was not a factor.
