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Police: Fatal New Year's Day crash leaves one dead in Hammond

7 years 2 months 3 weeks ago Sunday, January 01 2017 Jan 1, 2017 January 01, 2017 11:20 AM January 01, 2017 in News
Source: WBRZ

HAMMOND - A two vehicle wrong direction crash on Interstate 55 claimed the life of a 23-year-old early New Year's day.

According to State Police, around 5:00 a.m. January 1, Troopers responded to the two vehicle crash on Interstate 55 north of Wardline Rd. in Hammond. The crash claimed the life of Christian Delgado, 23.

Police said the crash occurred as Delgado was driving a 1994 Honda Accord Southbound in the northbound lane of Interstate 55. Delgado crashed head-on into a northbound 2016 Freightliner tractor-trailer, according to police.

Delgado was properly restrained at the time of the crash, but sustained severe injuries as a result, police said.

He was pronounced dead on-scene by the Tangipahoa Parish Coroner's Office.

The other driver involved was also wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash and was not injured, according to police.

Police said impairment is suspected to be a contributing factor in the crash. Blood samples were taken from Delgado and will be sent to the state crime lab for analysis.

The other driver involved provided a voluntary breath sample which showed no trace of alcohol present, according to police.

State Police provided the following statement at the end of the press release related to this incident:

"The difficult assignment of death notification continues to be one of the hardest elements of the Law Enforcement profession. Notification is even more difficult when Troopers know that the outcome was preventable. As 2017 begins, please take a moment to put the safety of you and your loved ones ahead of everything else. Aside from sound decisions behind the wheel, speak to your family and friends about the consequences of impaired driving. Remind them that putting on a seatbelt greatly reduces the chances of being killed or seriously injured in a crash. Speak to them about the dangers of distracted driving. The conversation you have today could be the difference tomorrow."

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