A 30-year-old Marrero man is dead after his motorcycle collided with a turning SUV on U.S. Highway 90 in Avondale Friday night, leaving the car's five occupants with only minor injuries. The crash happened near Homeplace Drive in Jefferson Parish and remains under investigation.
According to WGNO, the man was riding a Suzuki motorcycle east in the left lane of the highway when a westbound Mitsubishi Highlander attempted to turn left onto Homeplace Drive. Troopers said the motorcyclist struck the right side of the car as it turned, for unknown reasons. Louisiana State Police Troop B began investigating the two-vehicle fatal crash shortly before 7 p.m. Friday, according to the agency.
The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash but suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, the station's report states. The driver of the Highlander and four passengers inside the SUV were all wearing seatbelts and suffered only minor injuries, per the same account.
Investigation Continues, Toxicology Pending
Troopers have not released the motorcyclist's name, and the crash remains under investigation. Toxicology samples were sent off for testing, though results had not been made public as of the latest report.
The motorcyclist struck the car for unknown reasons.
A Pattern on Louisiana Roads
The Avondale fatality adds to a string of recent motorcycle deaths across the state. Louisiana State Police Troop E reported that a Deville man was killed in a motorcycle wreck on Highway 1207, according to KALB. Weeks earlier, troopers investigated a fatal crash in which a motorcyclist collided with a trailer on a Tuesday evening, as reported by WAFB. The Advocate also reported on that same Livingston Parish crash, in which a motorcyclist struck the trailer of a pickup truck at an intersection, according to The Advocate.
Statewide numbers show the scale of the problem. In 2025, 96 people died in motorcycle crashes in Louisiana, and motorcyclists were involved in 1,155 injury crashes on the state's roads, according to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. Of those fatalities, 27 percent were alcohol-involved, the commission reports. Nationally, 6,228 motorcyclists were killed in 2024, accounting for 16 percent of all traffic fatalities, the commission notes, citing federal data.
Louisiana has required helmets for all motorcyclists since enacting a universal helmet law in 2004, per the commission. The Friday night victim was wearing a helmet when he was fatally injured, underscoring that gear alone cannot always prevent a deadly outcome in a crash involving a much larger vehicle.
