Troopers report fatal crash near Sunshine Bridge

Troopers with Louisiana State Police Troop A investigated a single-vehicle crash near the Sunshine Bridge on Hwy. 44 at Oak Tree Street in St. James Parish after 6:30 a.m. May 2.

The crash ultimately claimed the life of 19-year-old Drake Ryan Upton of Lafayette, according to a news release.

Troopers said the preliminary investigation revealed that Upton was driving a 2019 Ford F-150 headed south on Hwy. 44, which is near the Ascension Parish boundary. For reasons still being investigated, Upton failed to negotiate a lefthand curve, traveled off the road to the right, overcorrected and traveled off the road to the left. Subsequently, he struck a tree, and his vehicle overturned.

Troopers reported Upton was not restrained at the time of the crash and was ejected from the Ford. He suffered critical injuries was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died. As part of the ongoing investigation, a toxicology sample was obtained from Upton and will be submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.