By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A woman was killed and a man was seriously injured in a car crash Saturday afternoon on U.S. 90 in St. Charles Parish, according to State Police.

Melissa Matey, spokesperson for State Police Troop B, said the fatal crash happened around 2 p.m. Saturday on the westbound lanes of U.S. 90 at the intersection of Scott Lane in Des Allemands.

Investigators said a 2000 Toyota pickup driven by Louis Langlinais III, 45, of New Iberia was traveling west on U.S. 90 at a high rate of speed when the vehicle ran off the road coming out of a curve. Langlinais overcorrected to get back on the road, causing the Toyota to spin.

Matey said the vehicle struck a raised driveway and flipped several times, causing Langlinais, who was not wearing a seatbelt, to be ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to the LSU Interim Public Hospital Level 1 Trauma Center with severe injuries.

A passenger in the Toyota, Crystal Hardy, 39, of Youngsville, was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, but was pronounced dead on the scene.

Matey said driver impairment is unknown and toxicology results are pending. She said speed is suspected as a contributing factor and the crash remains under investigation.

The crash Saturday came just four days after a Houma man was killed in an accident on Airline Highway in Norco last Wednesday night in which speeding was a likely factor. Ryan Murtha, 24, lost control of his Nissan 350-Z trying to avoid a slower moving vehicle ahead of him. Murtha, traveling in the right lane at a high rate of speed, swerved into the left lane, struck the raised median on Airline Highway near Prospect Avenue and crashed into a metal guardrail after he overcorrected. He was pronounced dead on the scene as a result of the crash.

 Matey stressed the importance of proper restraint and the dangers of speeding on roadways.

“National statistics show that speeding is a factor in one-third of all fatal crashes,” Matey said. “Speed limits are implemented in the best interest of public safety, and numerous factors are taken into consideration when deciding on a speed limit. Troopers witness firsthand the devastating effects in motor vehicle crashes caused by speeding. Please be a responsible driver, obey speed limits, drive sober, buckle up and avoid distractions.”