By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

ST. CHARLES – Louisiana State Police are investigating a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 10 early Sunday that left one man dead and sent another man to the hospital.

The fatal wreck occurred at the I-310 interchange in St. Charles Parish, and involved a 2004 GMC Envoy SUV, driven by Charles Gai Jr., 68, of Kenner, and a 2005 Dodge pick up, driven by Julius Casbon Jr., 24, of Thibodeaux.

According to a State Police report, around 1:48 a.m. Sunday, Gai was traveling eastbound on I-10 in the right lane, with Casbon following right behind him. Gai then lost control of the SUV, which spun out of control and came to a stop facing north across both lanes of eastbound I-10.

Casbon’s truck then struck Gai’s SUV head on,

slamming into the vehicle’s left side. Gai suffered fatal injuries, and was pronounced dead on the scene. Casbon was transported to University Hospital in New Orleans where he is listed in fair condition.

State Police said speed was not a factor in the accident, but investigators did not rule out driver impairment. Toxicology examinations on both drivers are still pending.

The accident shut down all lanes of eastbound I-10 for a few hours, while police investigated the incident. Eastbound I-10 traffic was diverted to I-310 for the duration of the investigation.