Semi Truck Accident Lawyers Louisiana

Two indicted in St. Tammany Parish traffic deaths

Leopoldo Munoz , 17, of Folsom, must answer to a charge of negligent homicide, which carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment, parish District Attorney's Office spokesman Rick Wood said Tuesday.

Mitchell Wayne Polkey , 25, of Bogalusa, is facing a more serious vehicular homicide charge, which is punishable by between five and 30 years in prison upon conviction.

State Police accuse Munoz of driving without a license and veering into a 25-year-old Kentwood motorcyclist May 20 on Louisiana 40 near Folsom.

About 12:30 p.m. that day, Munoz traveled east on the roadway in a 2000 Mazda 626 while Jared C. Guthrie traveled the opposite direction. As Munoz neared Louisiana 1080, he turned left directly into the motorcycle's path, troopers say.

Guthrie, who wore a helmet, was flung from the bike and landed in the westbound lane of Louisiana 40. Emergency responders airlifted him to St. Tammany Parish Hospital, but troopers said he died overnight. Among his survivors are his parents, brother and fiancée, his online obituary states.

Munoz, who wore his seat belt and was not injured, had no alcohol in his system, a breath test show. Accident investigators jailed him for Guthrie's death, his lack of a license and failure to yield while turning.

The crash involving Polkey happened on May 5 in Mandeville and killed his passenger, identified in court records as 84-year-old Carl Harrell.

Police there say Polkey was driving a Chevrolet Silverado on the U.S. 190 Frontage Road near the Banner Ford dealership about 9:30 p.m. when he apparently lost control on a curve. The truck left the read and barreled head-on into several trees.

Harrell was not wearing a seat belt and suffered "severe ... trauma" when he struck his head on the windshield, police said. He was taken to St. Tammany Parish Hospital for treatment but died later.

Polkey was not wearing his seat belt but did not get seriously injured. Following standard police procedure after fatal accidents, he went to a local hospital for a blood alcohol test, which allegedly showed he was intoxicated.

Officers said they jailed Polkey with Harrell's death, second-offense DWI, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license and driving without a seat belt.

Harrell, also a Bogalusa resident, left behind a sister and several nieces, according to his online obituary. Among other things, he was an Army veteran, a member of the American Legion and a member of the Grand Lodge of the State of Louisiana Free and Accepted Masons.

Tour Bus Rear Ended by Semi Truck in New York: Who is at Fault?

About 20 minutes prior to the crash, police said two patrol troopers stopped to check with the bus driver when the bus was pulled over. Police said Bisson [Rene Bisson, the bus driver, of Ontario] said an emissions warning light came on in the vehicle, but indicated “he was fine.”

Police Maj. Mark Kosstold a news conference that Bisson was not licensed to drive in New York State following the two previous traffic violations for speeding.

State police trooper Mark O’Donnell said Bisson paid the fines associated with the speeding tickets, but there was one outstanding surcharge — a $25 fee to reinstate his driving privileges — he had failed to pay.

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