By KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

GRAMERCY- An early morning crash on a darkened roadway claimed the life of one young man on Friday.

James E. Lewis, III, 24, of Convent was driving his 1994 Ford Taurus at approximately 3:10 a.m. when for an unknown reason, he veered off the roadway and into a ditch. He began spinning quickly to his right after losing control of the vehicle which then struck a tree.

Public Information Officer for State Police Troop A, Johnnie Brown, said Lewis had been traveling northbound on LA Highway 3125 near Highway 70 in St. James Parish when the crash occurred.

Upon impact, the force of the collision fatally wounded Lewis, who was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the St. James Parish Coroner’s Office.

Trooper Brown said he could not determine whether speed was a factor in the crash and impairment is not suspected.