UPDATE: On December 30, 2023, Louisiana State Police Troop C was notified the driver of the Chevrolet, 16-year-old Tristan Hartman of Thibodaux, had succumbed to his injuries while at the hospital.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Thibodaux – On December 28, 2023, shortly after 9:00 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop C began investigating a single-vehicle fatality crash on Louisiana Highway 1 near Welcome Road. The crash claimed the life of 16-year-old Ashton Newkirk of Thibodaux.
The preliminary investigation revealed a 2008 Chevrolet Impala, driven by another 16-year-old juvenile, was traveling south at a high rate of speed while in a left curve on LA Hwy 1. For reasons still under investigation, the Chevrolet traveled off the roadway to the right before striking a culvert head-on.
The driver of the Chevrolet and Newkirk, who was the front passenger, were properly restrained. A 14-year-old juvenile passenger in the rear of the Chevrolet was not properly restrained. Newkirk suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. The other two juveniles suffered life-threatening injuries and remain at an out-of-area hospital for treatment.
Standard toxicology results are pending for the driver of the Chevrolet. This crash remains under investigation.