A driver fled the scene after a deadly crash on westbound Interstate 10 near the Downman Road on-ramp in New Orleans East, and police are now asking the public for help identifying what happened. The New Orleans Police Department sent out an alert early Saturday morning confirming the fatal hit-and-run, though officials have not released details about a vehicle, a suspect, or the victim.
According to WDSU, the crash happened just after the Downman Road on-ramp on the westbound side of the interstate. Investigators have not said when exactly the collision occurred, only that it took place in that stretch of highway before NOPD pushed out its early-morning alert.
Anyone with information is being urged to come forward. NOPD is asking the public to contact its Traffic Division directly, or to report information anonymously through CrimeStoppers Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111, per the same report.
A Stretch of Highway With a History of Deadly Crashes
This is not the first fatal incident to strike this corridor of I-10 in New Orleans East in recent months. In September, a 49-year-old man was struck and killed while trying to run across the interstate on a Saturday afternoon, according to fox8live.com. Police said that man was found on the shoulder of westbound I-10 just past the Morrison Road on-ramp after being struck around 12:23 p.m., and that crash forced a temporary closure of the interstate between Morrison Road and the Chef Menteur Highway exit.
In that September case, the driver who struck the pedestrian remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, fox8live.com reported. The evidence does not establish any connection between that incident and the hit-and-run near Downman Road, and the two should not be treated as related.
Past Hit-and-Run Case Shows Pattern of Unsolved Highway Deaths
New Orleans has seen other unresolved fatal hit-and-runs along the I-10 corridor. A separate report from wdsu.com detailed a hit-and-run in the 8500 block of the I-10 Service Road, where one victim was pronounced dead at the scene after NOPD was called just before 8:40 p.m. on a Saturday. That case, like the Downman Road incident, remains without a confirmed suspect, underscoring how difficult these cases can be to close once a driver leaves the scene.
For now, the Downman Road case remains open, with NOPD continuing to rely on the public for leads. No suspect, vehicle description, or victim information has been released as the investigation continues.
