A 39-year-old Broussard man died early Sunday after the SUV he was riding in left SE Evangeline Thruway and slammed into a Lafayette home, and police say the driver was over the legal limit for alcohol. Tolentino Ramirez-Cornejo died at the scene of the crash, which happened around 3 a.m. in the 1100 block of the thruway, according to Lafayette police.
Police say 28-year-old Justyce Griffith, of Alexandria, was behind the wheel of a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe traveling northbound when the SUV left the roadway to the right and struck a residence. As reported by Hot 107.9, the crash was initially reported as involving injuries before the Lafayette Police Department confirmed Ramirez-Cornejo's death and Griffith's arrest. Investigators determined Griffith was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, and she tested over the legal limit, per police.
Two other passengers were hurt in the crash. One suffered severe injuries while another sustained minor injuries, and both were transported to an area hospital, where they were listed in stable condition. Griffith herself suffered only minor injuries and was evaluated at a hospital before being booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.
Charges Include Vehicular Homicide and Two Felony Injury Counts
Griffith faces one count of vehicular homicide, two counts of first-degree vehicular negligent injuring, one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, one count of careless operation, and one count of failure to secure a driver's license, the station's report notes. The Lafayette Police Department Traffic Unit continues to investigate what caused the Tahoe to leave the roadway. Griffith is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:32.1, a vehicular homicide conviction carries a mandatory state prison sentence of 5 to 30 years and fines between $2,000 and $15,000, according to The Ambeau Law Firm. At least three years of that sentence must be served without probation, parole, or suspension, and prosecutors do not need to prove intent to harm — only that impaired driving directly contributed to the death.
The two additional felony counts against Griffith stem from Louisiana Revised Statute 14:39.2, which classifies first-degree vehicular negligent injuring as a felony carrying fines up to $5,000 and up to 10 years in prison when impaired driving causes serious bodily injury, per Barkemeyer Law Firm. A key detail still unknown is Griffith's exact blood alcohol concentration. Under Louisiana law, a BAC exceeding 0.20 percent would reclassify a vehicular homicide conviction as a statutory crime of violence, according to Damico & Stockstill, requiring an offender to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Thruway Closed for Hours as Second Deadly Crash Hits Lafayette in a Day
The crash forced Lafayette police to close northbound SE Evangeline Thruway at East Pinhook Road, diverting traffic to East University Avenue and Johnston Street for more than eight hours while emergency crews worked the scene near 15th Street, according to Acadiana News First. Lafayette police urged residents not to allow impaired friends or family members to drive, and encouraged anyone drinking to designate a sober driver or arrange alternative transportation before consuming alcohol.
This marked the second fatal crash in Lafayette in barely 24 hours over the Labor Day weekend. A night earlier, on September 5, 19-year-old Larry Hamilton Jr. was arrested on negligent homicide charges after fleeing a police traffic stop and colliding with a vehicle at West Pinhook Road and La Rue France, a crash that killed one person and left three others critically injured, Acadiana News First reported separately.
SE Evangeline Thruway, which functions as U.S. Route 90 Business through central Lafayette, carries heavy commercial truck and energy-sector traffic and ranks among Lafayette Parish's most crash-prone corridors, according to Spencer Calahan Injury Lawyers, which points to high traffic volumes and numerous urban intersections as key risk factors. Just two weeks earlier, on August 24, a truck veered onto the sidewalk in the 100 block of the same thruway and killed 66-year-old pedestrian Wilbert Davis, a case Hoodline covered in an earlier fatal sidewalk crash that was also investigated by the Lafayette Police Department Traffic Unit.
Any civil claims arising from the crash would also fall under Louisiana's newly modified comparative fault standard, which took effect for crashes occurring on or after January 1, 2026. Per Ory Law Group, any driver or party found 51 percent or more at fault is now completely barred from recovering personal injury damages, a significant shift in how such cases will be litigated going forward.
