CLAIBORNE PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Louisiana State Police are investigating a car crash that claimed the life of an 18-year-old Texas man in Claiborne Parish Sunday afternoon.
According to LSP, the crash happened around 1:00 p.m. Sunday, June 14 on LA HWY 520 north of Homer. Hunter Hopkins, 18, of Allen, Texas was traveling eastbound in a 1998 Toyota truck when he failed to turn at the curve. Troopers say Hopkins lost control of his truck and he ended up driving off the right side of the highway until he struck an embankment and flipped over.
Hopkins, who was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt, suffered from life-threatening injuries, and he was taken to a local hospital where he died the following day. Authorities say a toxicology sample was obtained and submitted for analysis.
“Buckling up is the most effective way to protect yourself in a crash,” Louisiana State Police said in a news release Tuesday.
“Failure to take a few seconds to buckle up can have devastating consequences. Louisiana law requires every person in a vehicle, regardless of seating position, to be properly restrained day or night.”
