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Pierre Part – On April 2, 2021, shortly before 2:30 a.m., Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop C responded to a single-vehicle crash on LA Hwy 1016-2 (Belle River Road) near Riverbend Street in Assumption Parish. The crash claimed the life of 21-year-old Kole M. Bahry of Plattenville.

The preliminary investigation revealed a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was traveling south on LA 1016-2 at a high rate of speed. The driver failed to negotiate a curve and ran off the road, traveled back onto the roadway before leaving the road again. After leaving the roadway for the second time, the Chevrolet struck a utility pole, overturned, then struck another utility pole before coming to rest on its roof.

Bahry was not restrained and suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other occupant, 24-year-old Dean A. Putz of Union Mills, IN., was not restrained and was partially ejected from the vehicle. He sustained serious injuries as a result of the crash and was transported to a Baton Rouge area hospital. Due to the severity of the crash and no seat belt usage, it is currently undetermined which occupant was operating the vehicle at the time of the crash. This crash remains under investigation.

Louisiana state law requires vehicle occupants to be properly restrained in all seating positions, day or night. Statistics show the chances of surviving a crash rise significantly when properly restrained but the decision not to wear a seat belt can have deadly consequences.

Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway. Speeding also extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle and can lead to a more serious collision in cases where the vehicle strikes another object.

Troop C has investigated 8 fatal crashes resulting in 10 deaths in 2021.