A 36-year-old Lockport man is dead after his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck that turned into his path on Louisiana Highway 308 just north of U.S. Highway 90, in a crash that unfolded shortly after 6 a.m. Monday. Louisiana State Police Troop C troopers who responded found the rider had been pronounced dead at the scene, and investigators say the driver of the truck showed no signs of impairment.
According to The Lafourche Gazette, a 2010 Dodge Ram was traveling south on LA 308 and preparing to turn left into a private driveway when it turned into the path of a 2007 Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle heading north. The motorcycle struck the pickup's right front quarter panel, and the rider suffered fatal injuries in the impact. The Dodge driver was properly restrained and was not injured in the crash, the paper reported.
Troopers collected a standard toxicology sample from the motorcyclist for analysis, a routine step in fatal crash investigations, per the same account. The pickup driver voluntarily provided a breath sample, which did not indicate the presence of alcohol. Police noted that the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation, but the helmet was not properly secured at the time of the crash.
State Law Puts Burden on Turning Drivers
The circumstances of Monday's crash point to a scenario regulated directly by state law. Under Louisiana Revised Statute 32:104(A), drivers are prohibited from turning across travel lanes unless the movement can be completed with reasonable safety, according to FindLaw. Why the Dodge Ram turned into the motorcycle's path remains under investigation by Louisiana State Police Troop C.
The detail about the rider's helmet also carries legal weight. Louisiana Revised Statute 32:190 requires motorcycle operators and passengers to wear a helmet secured with a properly fastened chin strap, with violations punishable by a $50 fine, per Justia's compilation of the state code. Louisiana is one of only 19 states nationwide that enforces a universal helmet mandate covering riders of all ages, according to Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys, unlike partial laws that often apply to younger or new riders.
That mandate has faced political pressure in recent years. During the 2024 legislative session, the Louisiana House Transportation Committee voted 10-3 to repeal the universal helmet law, and the bill passed the House and headed to the Senate, according to The Thibeaux Firm. Opponents argued against government mandates, while safety advocates pointed to the law's role in preventing brain injuries.
Troop C Urges Drivers to Watch for Motorcycles
A reminder urged motorists to check their mirrors and blind spots carefully before turning left, noting that motorcycles can be difficult to spot in traffic.
Nearly six months earlier, on April 17, a 73-year-old motorcycle rider was seriously injured on LA 308 in Raceland when a passenger car turned into his path; he died from those injuries on May 2, according to KQKI News.
A Violent Weekend
Monday's crash also came just one day after two other motorcycle riders died in separate single-vehicle crashes in nearby Houma and Thibodaux, KQKI News reported, placing all three fatalities on consecutive days.
Louisiana State Police Troop C continues to investigate Monday's crash. No additional details on charges or final fault determinations have been released.
