Woman receives sixth DWI after van gets clipped by train

By BEN LUNDIN

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – As an oncoming train roared towards her at 50 miles per hour, a LaPlace woman with a hearty dose of drug-induced confidence accelerated to beat it across the tracks at Peavine Road in her 1995 green Ford van Tuesday night.

She almost made it.

The train clipped the rear passenger side Sandra Landry’s van as she accelerated through the intersection and sent it slightly off-course with minor damage, but Landry, 47, of LaPlace, kept driving and headed home, where she was promptly arrested by police at approximately 6:40 p.m.

The St. John Sheriff’s Office found Landry was under the influence of prescription medication at the time of the crash and charged her with her fifth DWI in the past 10 years and 6th DWI overall. Police also booked her with a $31,200 bond at the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office Correctional Facility for hit and run, suspended driver’s license, no insurance and cited her with failure to yield to a train.

Officers also discovered that the van was not owned by Landry, who was on probation at the time of her arrest for a previous DWI charge and possession of scheduled narcotics. She was not charged with a crime of vehicle theft.

Police found the train was clear of violations and released it back to the Canadian National Railroad following an investigation.