Crash bucks trend toward safer U.S. 90

BAYOU VISTA -- A major crash Monday in Bayou Vista went against a recent trend toward fewer crashes and fewer injuries since J-turns were installed on U.S. 90 west of the Atchafalaya.
The crash at 1:50 p.m. Monday across from Walmart involved three vehicles. A 2017 Ford Escape was headed east on U.S. 90 when it crossed the median and struck both a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2001 Toyota Camry.
The driver of the Ford Escape was transferred to the hospital by Acadian AirMed.
Jonathan Desormeaux, 30, of Ville Platte, was the driver of the 2017 Ford Escape. He was charged with careless operation and possession of a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has installed J-turns to replace crossovers on the stretch of U.S. 90 between Berwick and Ricohoc.
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to social media feedback after traffic advisories by collecting DOTD data on crashes.
The DOTD compiled data from 2013, 2014 and 2015, the three years prior to the project. The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office received data in three different categories: number of crashes, number of injuries, and number of fatalities.
The Department of Transportation and Development compared those statistics to those from the 12-month period following the completion of the J-turn project.
This is only one year of data, but it gives an idea of the trend since the project was completed.
In the first year since the J-Turn project was completed:
—The number of crashes is down 36%.
—The number of injuries is down 47%.
—The number of fatalities is down 46%.
Three years after the project, the Department of Transportation and Development will do another comparison with more solid data in which to evaluate.
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office is encouraging people to slow down in this area of U.S. 90 and be careful of other motorists. Exercising caution and using defensive driving techniques when driving will help more than anything else in lowering the number of crashes on our roadways, the office said.