By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A Vacherie man and a LaPlace woman died Wednesday night in separate single vehicle crashes in St. John the Baptist and Orleans parishes.

Michael Humphreys, 54, of Vacherie, was thrown from his 2005 Honda motorcycle after he failed to negotiate a left turn on northbound Louisiana Highway 643 near Pleasure Bend, according to State Police Troop C Spokesman Evan Harrell. Humphreys was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Harrell said Humphreys was wearing a Department of Transportation approved helmet at the time of the crash. He said a routine toxicology test is pending to determine if impairment played a role in the crash. It is also unclear whether speed played a role. The incident is still under investigation.

Later the same night, 23-year-old Arion Jackson of LaPlace was killed when she was ejected from her sport utility vehicle and hit by a falling utility pole during a collision on Interstate 10 in New Orleans.

Jackson was driving her Ford explorer westbound on I-10 just before midnight when the vehicle left the roadway on the West End Boulevard exit ramp, according to police. The Explorer hit a concrete wall and a metal utility pole.

The collision knocked the pole from its base and the pole hit the woman as she was ejected from the SUV, according to New Orleans Police. Paramedics pronounced Jackson dead at the scene.

The Orleans Parish coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Blood and alcohol tests are still pending and the accident remains under investigation.

Harrell said motorists who witness hazardous situations on any major roadways are urged to call *LSP (*577) to report the activity to Louisiana State Police.