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Film production shines spotlight on Franklin

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 1:06pm

Staff Report
Franklin — The City of Franklin recently welcomed Dark Atom Studios to town as the production company began filming its latest feature, Kid Paranormal. The film, starring acclaimed actors John Schneider and Olivia Brown, brought excitement to residents and continued momentum for Franklin’s growing film economy.
Mayor Eugene Foulcard praised the studio’s decision to film in Franklin, noting the progress made through the Film Franklin Initiative—an effort designed to attract film and television productions by highlighting the city’s historic charm, architecture, and scenic landscape.
“We are thrilled to have Dark Atom Studios choose Franklin as the setting for Kid Paranormal,” said Mayor Foulcard. “Our Film Franklin Initiative is designed to showcase the character of our community while creating meaningful economic benefits for our residents and small businesses. This production is another strong step forward in strengthening Franklin’s presence in Louisiana’s film industry.”
While the film features well-known Hollywood talent, there are also two local faces who appear in the production. Ten-year-old Aubrey Notto, daughter of Brent and Jaleesa Notto, joined the cast as the younger sister to actress Adison Salcedo and filmed scenes alongside Franklin’s own Diane Wiltz.
Filming took place at the home of Steve and Kelly Verzwyvelt, whose hospitality made the production possible. The Verzwyvelts also played a key role in connecting the film’s producers with the Mayor’s Office and the Film Franklin Initiative, helping ensure seamless collaboration between the city and the studio.
Kid Paranormal is the third movie filmed in or around Franklin within two years, part of a rising trend that includes the international Canadian French film Que se souviendra de nous, indie films The Cramps and Father of the Year, documentaries such as Saving Americana and the Louisiana Dread historical series on Franklin, the Travel Channel’s Ghosts of Morgan City, numerous state and international travel media productions, commercials, and visits from Hollywood scouts for major projects like Sinners and The Terminal List.
Beyond the excitement, local officials note that productions like Kid Paranormal bring direct economic benefits—supporting hotels, restaurants, caterers, shops, and local services—while bolstering Franklin’s reputation as a vibrant cultural destination.
Franklin’s momentum in the film industry continues to grow, and the city looks forward to welcoming future productions that will join the legendary films already rooted in its history.

Area agencies report arrests

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 1:04pm

(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)
Morgan City and Franklin police reported four arrests on drug charges Tuesday and Wednesday.
Morgan City
Chief Chad M. Adams reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 28 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:
•Morris Garrison, 31, Rizzo Street, Patterson, was arrested at 8:24 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of an alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle and improper turning. (Released on summons.)
•Julia Ann Glynn, 34, Fourth Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:43 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and improper lighting.
•Phillip Joseph Aucoin, 52, Leona Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:43 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and possession of a legend drug (gabapentin).
•Cedric Benjamin Gant, 28, Grace Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:37 a.m. Tuesday on two counts of failure to appear for trial (6th Ward Morgan City Court).
•Nomad Hoots, 48, Hamilton Street, Gretna, was arrested at 9:37 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of simple battery.
•Anthony Mark Rieder, 38, North Jefferson Avenue, Mount Pleasant, Texas, was arrested 12:55 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of obscenity.
Assumption
Sheriff Leland Falcon reported his arrest:
•Kevin Renard Lightell, 29, Andras Street, Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested Wednesday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear in court in Assumption Parish on a count of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling as well as a warrant for a probation violation.
Lightell was convicted of the crime of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling Sept. 23 in Assumption Parish. As a result of that conviction, Lightell was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and ordered to comply with specific conditions.
Lightell violated those conditions, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest Nov. 18.
Lightell was arrested Wednesday in Bayou L’Ourse and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center. Lightell remains incarcerated with bond set at $1,631.50, cash only, on the failure to appear warrant. He was ordered held without bond on the probation violation.
Franklin
Chief Cedric Handy reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to 15 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made this arrest:
•Jordan Freeman, 23, Pickett Lane, Franklin, was arrested at 3:03 p.m. Wednesday on charges of failure to register, careless operation, no insurance, driving under suspension, and possession of marijuana. Freeman was booked, processed and released on a $3,000 bond.

Dear Abby: Wife thinks it’s too late to leave narcissist

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 1:00pm

DEAR ABBY: I’ve been married to a narcissist for 28 years. He has gaslighted me for our entire 30 years together. He has had a “work wife,” a flirtation with the next-door neighbor hottie, and he paid for two sexy girls’ dinners (and pies to go) because they happened to be in line in front of us.
After an argument, he even called the police on me. (An entire shift of sheriff officers surrounded our house.) I have developed severely negative emotions toward him, especially when he lies to me. We haven’t had sex in a year. We get along fairly well in day-to-day activities, although it bothers me that I have to be chauffeured everywhere I go, including him waiting while I have my hair and nails done.
I’m 67 and feel it is too late to start over. My psychologist can’t understand why I don’t leave. We aren’t destitute, but we’re not wealthy either. I don’t know which way to turn.
HATING HIM IN MICHIGAN
DEAR HATING HIM: I find it interesting that as threatened as you feel about your husband’s work relationship with his assistant, his flirtation with the hottie next door and two strangers he tried to impress by paying for their takeout dinners (pies included!), HE is so insecure that he must drive you everywhere you go outside the house.
While you think it may be too late for you to start over, you need to clearly define what starting over means to you. I can think of worse fates than freedom from an insecure, possessive, lying narcissist. You are under the care of a licensed psychotherapist. The logical “way to turn” would be in the direction your therapist is trying to guide you.
DEAR ABBY: I am concerned about a dear friend who has a diagnosis of mild dementia. She has no family here. Her closest relatives are four hours away, and she has minimal contact with them. She was widowed 40 years ago and hasn’t dated. She always said she had no interest in that. She is deeply involved in our community and has a wide, varied circle of friends.
My concern is that while she has always been active in different events — the arts, music, adult ed classes — she is now VERY interested in men. She has spoken to me about her desire for a sexual relationship. She’s 82. I am at a loss about what to tell her and worried about the consequences if she does find a man willing and able. I feel strongly that her desire is a personality change as a result of dementia. Any advice would be appreciated.
DIFFERENT NOW IN IOWA
DEAR DIFFERENT: Your friend is well enough that she is active in your community. Talk further with your friend about this. She doesn’t have to worry about a pregnancy, but STDs among seniors have more than doubled in the United States in the last decade. Syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are all on the rise. Lack of knowledge and low condom use are driving these statistics.
Seniors have a right to a sex life if they wish, but they should be well informed before starting one. Urge your friend to speak with her gynecologist before starting any intimate relationship.

Hurricanes (the cold kind) are Kiwanis Club tradition

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 12:50pm

(Editor’s note: This is the first in an occasional series about the origin and work of service organizations in St. Mary Parish. We start with the East St. Mary Kiwanis Club, which submitted this story.)
In 1989, the Kiwanis Club was given the opportunity to operate the only hard alcohol booth for the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival by the Board of Directors.
We first were located on the corner of First Street and Greenwood until around 2005. In the beginning we made the beverage using Pat O’Brian’s powdered Hurricane mix, water and run to our modified recipe in 40 5-gallon jugs, equaling 200 gallons.
The legal drinking age was 18 until 1995, when it changed to 21.
In 1992, due to Hurricane Andrew, the festival was canceled. The city was friendly with Sheriff Harry Lee of Jefferson Parish, who put on a small festival to assist the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival organization with some funding toward the next festival in 1993.
The Kiwanis Club Board of Directors decided to add the Hurricane Booth to Sheriff Lee’s festival, so we made some 100 gallons of Hurricanes, loaded them into a U-Haul and set up at the little fair.
Sales were a lot slower than at our local festival. However, we had some great promoters join us. One was Steven Seagal! He came and joined us in our booth in selling our beverage. We sold the small batch of Hurricanes over the weekend in 1992.
At first, we wore our regular Kiwanis shirts for several years. However, as the club membership grew and with sales growing, we started making special “Hurricane Shirts” to promote our club and attract new members.
Each year was a new design for the shirt, and it was modified in later years to add our new drinks, Margaritas and the Tropical Storm!
Sometime in the mid-1990s, we changed from making the Hurricane mix from the powder and storing it in 5-gallon jugs to using a pumping system from 55-gallon drums, as our motto was to be faster than the line of customers!
We kept discussing with the festival board to move from Greenwood Street, where the Street Fair was located and where children were mostly, to Lawrence Park, where the bands entertained adults. They finally agreed sometime around 2005.
When we moved from the first location to Lawarence Park, we incorporated using 250-gallong totes to replace the 55-gallon drums.
Sometime after 2010, we started selling Margaritas with the Hurricanes, and shortly thereafter we added a drink called the Tropical Storm!
The funds that the booth earned are used to aid the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival organization as well as being used for projects such as scholarships awarded to Key Club member at all our area high schools – Patterson, Berwick, Morgan City High and Central Catholic – as well as other projects the club supports.
They include the annual Kids Fishing Rodeo, assisting the Key clubs, the food bank, bingo at the area elderly health facilities, and many other organizations and projects that our club supports locally, regionally and with the national Kiwanis organization in national and international projects.
The club currently has 87 members, among them Secretary Debbie Stevens, who is also lieutenant governor of Division 17 of the Louisiana-Mississippi-West Tennessee District.
Annual fundraisers:
--Kiwanis Trivia Night each year in March. About 600 people attend.
--Porchfest in Lawrence Park in April, although the event was postponed in 2024 and 2025.
--Hurricane Drink Booth at the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival each Labor Day weekend.
--Wild Game Dinner in late September. About 1,200 tickets are sold.
Annual projects:
--Kids Fishing Rodeo in May at Lake End Park, totally free for the kids. About 300 usually participate.
--Sponsoring Terrific Kids and BUGS (Bring Up Grades) at all local elementary schools.
--Sponsoring four local Key Clubs at Morgan City High, Central Catholic, Berwick High and Morgan City High.
--Scholarships for Key Club members at the four local high schools.
--School “closets” at elementary and junior high schools with uniforms, belts, shoes, underwear, socks, etc., for days when a teacher feels a student may need something.
--Recognizing all teachers at Amelia, Morgan City, Berwick and Patterson schools during Teacher Appreciation Week by sending a food tray to each school.
--Rotating bingo games at Patterson and Morgan City nursing homes and Maison Jardin, usually on the third Thursday of each month.
--A birthday cake for each of the nursing homes and Maison Jardin for their monthly resident birthday parties.
--For the last two years, the mobile snowball stand is sent to each nursing home and Maison Jardin. We hope to continue this event.
--Annual donations to all 17 schools from the success of the annual Trivia Night.

Conrad Shipyard, SHI form LNG bunkering partnership

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 12:46pm

Morgan City’s Conrad Shipyard LLC and Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., another leading shipbuilder, have agreed to work together in LNG bunkering.
Conrad announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding that “formalizes a collaborative framework to jointly explore opportunities in the rapidly expanding U.S. LNG bunkering market,” according to a press release.
Bunkering is the process for transferring liquefied natural gas to a ship for use as fuel. Bunkering helps ships lower carbon emissions.
The Sea-LNG website reports that only six LNG bunkering vessels existed in 2019. By the middle of this year, there were 62 with orders for 30 more.
Under the memorandum, Conrad and SHI will work together to evaluate and pursue technical, commercial and market-based initiatives that support the design, construction and deployment of LNG bunkering vessels tailored for U.S. regulatory and operational requirements.
The memorandum is intended to combine SHI’s global expertise in advanced LNG technologies with Conrad’s proven LNG shipbuilding capabilities and domestic market access, Conrad said in a news release.
“We are honored to collaborate with Samsung Heavy Industries,” said Johnny Conrad, executive chairman, Conrad Shipyard. “This MOU reﬂects Conrad’s focus on driving innovation in the U.S. maritimesector and positions both organizations to develop advanced LNG bunkering vessels tailored to meet market demand.”
Conrad’s extensive experience navigating regulatory requirements associated with LNG bunkering vessel design, engineering and construction combined with SHI’s state-of-the-art LNG technology will greatly enhance the U.S. LNG market, Conrad said.
Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., headquartered in South Korea, is one of the world’s foremost shipbuilders, known for its advanced engineering capabilities in LNG carriers, offshore structures, digitalship solutions, and high-efficiency vessel technologies, the press release said.
Conrad Shipyard, established in 1948 and headquartered in Morgan City, designs, builds and overhauls a wide variety of steel marine vessels, including barges, dredges, and dredge support equipment, tugboats, ferries, drydocks, lift boats, offshore supply vessels and other steel products forcommercial and government customers.
Conrad provides conversion, repair, and new construction servicesat its ﬁve shipyards located in southern Louisiana and Texas.

Romaire marks 25 years in his journey to special FX mastery

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 12:41pm

By BILL DECKER

bdecker@daily-review.com

On Thanksgiving night, fireworks lit the sky above the Spirit of Morgan City shrimp boat. Santa stood in the bow, drawn by white alligators with crabs on their heads and with an eerie swamp scene in the stern.
This year was the eighth since Morgan City native Lee Romaire’s Christmas tableau became part of the city’s holiday celebration. it also marked the 25th anniversary of Romaire Studios Inc., the Los Angeles operation where he and his team do sculpting, makeup and animatronics work for movies, TV and, especially, for theme parks.
Romaire’s work can be seen in director Guillermo del Torro’s “Frankenstein” on Netflix.
Now 59, Romaire was born in Morgan City in 1966. At age 6, he visited the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. It wouldn’t be his last connection with Disney.
Romaire grew up among lovers of the outdoors, and that meant he was exposed to taxidermy. He went with his family to Harbor Seafood, which had many mounted trophies. ”Every time I went there I couldn’t stay in my seat,” he said in a phone interview.
An employee of his father taught Romaire how to mount a crawfish. In high school, he had his own small taxidermy business.
Romaire had also enjoy movies like “King Kong” – the 1930s and 1970s versions – and the work of Ray Harryhausen, who perfected stop-motion animation in films including “Jason and the Argonauts.”
But his adult life had more to do with business than movie fantasy. After graduating from Central Catholic, Romaire studied advertising and marketing at LSU and moved to New York for a year before coming back to New Orleans as a freelance copywriter and creative director.
He grew disillusioned with the work.
Then, picking up a magazine for makeup artists, he found an ad for a trade show in Los Angeles. Off he went.
There he met Dick Smith, who did makeup for Marlon Brando in “The Godfather” and Linda Blair in “The Exorcist.”
Romaire took Smith’s course and finished in 18 months. Returning to Louisiana, he gave up his advertising clients and began work that included sculpting giant Mardi Gras props. He built a portfolio.
In 2000, he moved to Los Angeles and incorporated Romaire Studios Inc.
With Smith’s help, “I was introduced to the very top make-up studios in Hollywood. Within a month I had a job at Steve Johnson’s famous cutting edge XFX. …,” Romaire said in a biography. He worked on “The Tick,” “Rose Red” and “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,” and “then on to Jim Henson’s creature shop (“Stuart Little 2,” “Snow Dogs,” “The Country Bears,” “Scooby Doo”) and Kevin Yagher’s “Windtalkers” and “Master of Disguise.”
While at Todd Master’s Master’s FX, Romaire won an Emmy Award for his sculpting on an episode of HBO’s “Six Feet Under.”
In 2003, he got his own business going with a physical location. But the work was slow.
Then he re-connected with Disney.
“Really early on, I got involved with Disney Imagineering, and through a friend, got asked to work on the new electric head program,” Romaire wrote. “Disney was just starting to use electronically activated figures, as opposed to hydraulics or pneumatics.
“Several different iterations of humans, and then the opportunity arose that they wanted me to sculpt the new Abraham Lincoln head for Disneyland. I asked if I could do the complete finish -- paint, hands hair, and my wish was granted. I was first sculptor outside of the Disney company to sculpt a President for them.
“From there, I realized that Disney needed the expertise that I learned from the movie business. Imagineering and Disney theme parks sprung from their movie business, but there was a newer, more realistic, higher quality level of work being done in the movie special FX world, and I helped bring that to the theme park world.”
Romaire also decided to go to a new level with his work.
“We make a bunch of talking Olaf heads for the Olaf costumes at Walt Disney world, and we learned that we had to not just design inventive mechanically, but It had to be engineered to last,” Romaire wrote. “So we created an engineering department.”
Universal turned to Romaire, and his work on “The Secret Life of Pets” won a THEA award for themed entertainment. His team created 22 characters for Universal Studios’ epic Universe and won four THEAs.
Other accomplishments:
--His studio has 20 core employees and another 50 freelancers.
--The studio has been awarded multiple patents for our work over the years.
--Romaire created a mechanical baby for Frank Ocean to walk down the red carpet at the Met Gala.
--The studio created the Tactisquatch mascot for Black Rifle coffee.
--The studio won a THEA award for work on the Star Wars Box Droids at Disneyland.
--Romaire created six character suits with animatric faces based on “Five Nights at Freddy’s” characters for famous Youtuber Socks for 1. These were created in a record eight weeks. The video as garnered 46 million views so far, probably surpassing the movie.
--The studio helped in refurbish the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland, the very first audio- animatronic show created by Walt Disney.
Meanwhile, people, sometimes people from other countries, stay interested in his Morgan City Christmas display. The while alligators show up in social media memes.
“People know about it,” Romaire said, “and they talk about it online.”

Richard Frank Ayo

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 12:37pm

October 16, 1936 – November 28, 2025
Richard Frank Ayo passed away on November 28th, 2025, at the age of 89. He was born on October 16th, 1936, in McCall, Louisiana.
Richard spent most of his life in Morgan City, Louisiana, and pursued many interests and occupations through the years. He served in the Air Force after high school and was stationed at a radar installation in Iceland for part of his time in the military.
One of his fondest memories was of beekeeping in his twenties. He enjoyed working with honeybees and produced thousands of pounds of honey, which he sold to a bottling company in Louisiana for distribution. Richard’s passion for beekeeping helped to fund another project in his younger years – building his own tugboat, a monumental accomplishment of which he was very proud. He worked as a ship fitter, draftsman, and welder in various jobs until his early thirties. Richard returned to school to learn electronics repair, and in the 1980s and 90s he owned and operated Ayo & Son TV Service in Morgan City, where he repaired TVs, VCRs, and microwaves.
In retirement, he lived in Colorado for a while to be near family, and then in several areas in south central Missouri. In 2024, Richard relocated to San Antonio, Texas, to be near his son, Lane. There he found a renewed social life in his senior living community. He especially enjoyed shooting pool and playing chess with Lane, as well as playing bingo and working jigsaw puzzles with new friends.
Richard loved nature, science, and the joy of learning new things. He was quick to help neighbors and friends and frequently looked for ways to be of service.
He is survived by his son, Lane Ayo of San Antonio, his dear friend Leticia Rutoskey, and extended family and friends in Colorado, Louisiana, and Missouri.
Richard was preceded in death by his parents, Bernice and Gaston Ayo, and siblings, Thomas Ayo, Marguerite (Ayo) Wilson, and Stephen Ayo.
A memorial Service will be held on Friday, December 12, 2025, at 3:00 pm, at First Baptist Church of San Antonio, 515 McCullough Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78215.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christian Assistance Ministry (CAM) in San Antonio in his honor.
You are invited to sign the Guestbook at
www.porterloring.com
Arrangements with
PORTER LORING MORTUARY
1101 McCULLOUGH AVE.
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78212 – (210) 227-8221

Ramona Ann Kullman

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 8:48am

Ramona Ann Kullman, 71, a resident of Morgan City, died Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at her residence.
She is survived by her husband, James Kullman Jr.; mother, Verna Steiner; daughters, Dana Kullman and Julie Wiggins; three grandchildren; three step grandchildren; a great-grandchild; brother, Oran Steiner Jr.; and sister, Betty Durand.
She was preceded in death by her father and a sister.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 11 a.m. until services at 1 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial will follow in Morgan City Mausoleum.
Twin City Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Lillie Mae Howard

Mon, 12/08/2025 - 2:41pm

Lillie Mae Howard, 93, a native of Patterson and resident of Franklin, died Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 9 a.m. until services at 11 a.m. at Jones Funeral Home Chapel in Franklin, Burial will follow in New Salem Baptist Church Cemetery.
She is survived by sister, Florida Powell of Franklin; and brothers, Frederick Powell of Morgan City and Joseph Powell of Lake Charles.
She was preceded in death by numerous relatives.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Deadly distraction: Inattention drives up La. highway fatality rate

Fri, 12/05/2025 - 6:00am

When it comes to highway fatalities, one factor is responsible more often in Louisiana than speeding, and more often than elderly drivers who shouldn’t be driving.
And you probably carry that factor in your pocket, if your attention is attracted by your cellphone.
That factor is distracted driving, a potentially lethal mistake that has pushed Louisiana’s highway fatality rate up.
That’s according to a new study by King Stahlman Bail Bonds based on 2019-2023 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.
Louisiana’s fatality rate sits at 114.5 per 100,000 drivers, significantly less than the rates of the top three states: Mississippi (160.91 fatal crashes per 100,000 drivers); New Mexico (134.31); and Wyoming (133.57).
But what makes Louisiana stand out is its 20.4% distracted-driving rate, one of the highest in the country.
Distracted driving, while lower in many states, shows pockets of deep concern, particularly in New Mexico, New Jersey and Hawaii. Smartphones remain a major factor despite years of public-awareness campaigns.
Also in Louisiana, speeding is involved in 22.7% of fatal crashes, and older drivers account for 17.6%.
Across the nation, speeding remains the most common violation associated with deadly crashes, a trend reflected in the study’s nationwide findings and in NHTSA’s broader annual reports. States like South Carolina and Hawaii exceed 40% speeding involvement, showing how speed continues to be a defining factor in fatal wrecks.
Drowsy driving consistently ranks lowest, remaining under 1% in most states, though mountainous and rural regions, such as Wyoming and Maine, trend slightly higher.
Meanwhile, older drivers (65 or older) make up over 20% of fatal crashes in several states, and young drivers remain a high-risk group nationwide, particularly in states with rural road networks and longer travel distances.
Young drivers (15–20) represent over 15% of fatal crashes in states like Montana and Delaware.
Fatal crashes remain one of America’s most persistent and heartbreaking public-safety issues, claiming tens of thousands of lives every year.
According to federal data, more than 40,000 people die on U.S. roads annually, a figure that has stubbornly refused to drop even as vehicles become safer and driver-assist technology becomes more sophisticated. Risky behaviors, like speeding, distraction and fatigue, continue to play an out-sized role in deadly wrecks, while demographic factors such as older and younger drivers also shape state-by-state patterns.
Among the top-ranked states:
•Mississippi tops the national list by a wide margin, recording nearly 161 fatal crashes per 100,000 licensed drivers. For context, that’s more than four times the fatal-crash rate of Massachusetts, the safest state in the ranking. Older drivers contribute to 18.8% of Mississippi’s fatal crashes, signaling the role of age-related factors such as slower reaction times and diminished visibility.
Young drivers (15–20) account for 12.7%, while speeding contributes to just under 18 percent of deadly collisions. The state’s largely rural road network, longer emergency response times, and high share of long-distance travel likely contribute to the elevated risk.
•New Mexico comes in second, recording 134 fatal crashes per 100,000 drivers, and it’s one of the most alarming case studies in the country. Speeding is involved in 35.6% of fatal crashes, but the real standout is distracted driving, which contributes to a staggering 38.5%, the highest among the top three.
Older drivers account for 16.2% of deadly crashes, and young drivers contribute nearly 14%. With a combination of long desert highways and rising smartphone-related distraction, New Mexico faces a deadly mix of speed and inattention behind the wheel.
•Wyoming rounds out the top three with 133.6 fatal crashes per 100,000 drivers, closely trailing New Mexico. Speeding is an especially severe issue here, involved in 38% of fatal collisions. Older drivers contribute to 21.2%, and younger drivers represent 11.7%.
Distracted driving, while lower than New Mexico, still plays a role in around 10% of deadly crashes.
With vast stretches of open road, rapidly changing mountain-weather conditions and high travel speeds, Wyoming’s driving environment encourages fast driving — a risk factor that shows up clearly in the data.
•South Carolina ranks fourth with 125.2 fatal crashes per 100,000 drivers and the highest speeding involvement in the entire top 10: an eye-opening 41% of fatal crashes. Arkansas follows at 122.2, where older drivers make up 20.6% of deadly crashes, and young drivers nearly 12%. Speeding accounts for 23% percent, while distraction remains low at just 3.4%.
•Oklahoma records 121.3 fatal crashes per 100,000 drivers and has the highest share of fatal crashes involving older drivers in the top 10 at 22.3%. Speeding plays a role in 25% of deaths, and distracted driving is linked to 8.3%.
With a blend of rural highways and heavy interstate freight movement, the state faces a combination of speed-related and age-related risks.
•Kentucky reports 119.8 fatal crashes per 100,000 drivers, and has the highest share of older drivers involved in deadly crashes among the top 10: a significant 23.5%. Distracted driving contributes to 16%, while speeding makes up 16% and young drivers account for 11.5%.