A 62-year-old man from Harvey was struck and killed while walking along Highway 628 in St. John the Baptist Parish shortly after 11:30 p.m. Monday night. He was hit by a westbound 2005 Chevrolet Suburban near Johnny Court and later died at a hospital, while the driver of the SUV was not injured.
According to WGNO, the man was walking in the westbound lane of the highway near Johnny Court while wearing dark-colored clothing at the time he was struck. Investigators say the Suburban was traveling west on Highway 628 when, for reasons still under investigation, it struck the man. As reported by WWL-TV, Louisiana State Police have collected routine toxicology samples for analysis as part of the ongoing investigation.
The man was initially taken to a hospital in critical condition, per the station's report, before he died there. The station notes the driver of the Chevrolet was not injured in the crash. State Police have not announced any findings on what led the man to be in the roadway, and the case remains open.
A Stretch of Road With a Troubled History
This isn't the first fatal pedestrian crash investigated by Louisiana State Police in St. John the Baptist Parish in recent years. In June 2025, troopers responded to a crash just before 9:30 p.m. on US 61 north near Carrollwood Drive, according to the Louisiana State Police. In that case, 75-year-old Rose Mary Valentine of Laplace was struck while attempting to cross the northbound lanes of US 61; the agency said she was wearing dark clothing and was not in a designated crosswalk.
Louisiana State Police also investigated a December 2022 crash on US 61 near Belle Point Boulevard in Laplace, in which James Clifford Morrison Jr. was struck by a Kia while crossing the highway and later died at a hospital, per the agency's account. The driver and front-seat passenger of that vehicle were restrained and uninjured, the agency said.
Investigation Continues
No further details have been released about what preceded Monday night's crash near Johnny Court, and the investigation into the circumstances remains active. Troopers have not indicated when results from the collected toxicology samples might be available.
