Unrestrained Alexandria Man Killed in Four Vehicle Crash

LaSalle Parish – Earlier today, a crash involving four vehicles killed a man from Alexandria, LA that was not wearing a seat belt. A man from West Monroe, LA has been charged with his death.
Troopers responded to the crash around 1:55 p.m., which occurred on LA Hwy 28 East, near the LaSalle/Rapides Parish line. The crash involved a 2014 Freightliner (box truck), driven by Londell Smith Jr. (B/M 30 yrs), a 1997 Ford pickup, driven by William T. Lewis (W/M 86 yrs), a 2009 Kia Optima, driven by Isaac H. Carloss Jr. (B/M 38 yrs) of Wildsville, LA, and a 2009 Dodge Charger, driven by Dillon P. McTernan (W/M 35 yrs) of Pineville, LA. The Freightliner was westbound on LA Hwy 28 East when Smith Jr. crossed the centerline, into the eastbound lane, in what appeared to be an attempt to pass another westbound vehicle. This action resulted in the Freightliner colliding head-on with the eastbound Ford, despite Lewis’ attempt to avoid the collision. After the initial collision between the Freightliner and the Ford, the eastbound Kia collided with the Ford. The eastbound Dodge became involved in the crash when it collided with debris from the other vehicles.
Smith Jr. was wearing his seat belt and received minor injuries, but refused medical attention. He was charged with negligent homicide and booked into the LaSalle Parish Detention Center.
Lewis was pronounced dead on the scene.
Carloss Jr. was wearing his seat belt, but received minor injuries. He was transported to Cabrini Hospital for treatment.
McTernan was wearing his seat belt and was not injured.
Routine toxicology tests are pending. The crash remains under investigation.
Louisiana State Police would like to take this opportunity to remind/inform motorists that properly wearing your seat belt will dramatically reduce your chance of being injured or killed in a crash. We ask you to take one second to “buckle up!” Louisiana law requires that every person in a vehicle, regardless of seating position, always remain buckled up. Not wearing a seat belt remains the leading cause of death in motor vehicle crashes.
Although the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, Troopers would like to remind the public of the following: inattentive and distracted driving is dangerous and is a leading cause of crashes in our state. It is important for motorists to pay attention to what is going on outside of the vehicle they are driving. More information on distracted driving may be found online at the federal government’s official distracted driving website, www.distraction.gov.
In 2018, Troop E has investigated 26 fatal crashes resulting in 26 deaths.