NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana truck driver has been arrested on multiple charges, including negligent homicide, in connection to a fatal crash in October 2023 along Interstate 55.Â
According to a Louisiana State Police (LSP) report, Ronald Britt, of Lafayette, Louisiana, has also been charged with negligent injuring, reckless operation and other traffic offenses that resulted in the death of 60-year-old James Fleming and severe injuries to his wife, 69-year-old Barbara Fleming, from Missouri.
In total, eight people died in the multi-car pileup that was caused by foggy conditions.
“Following an extensive investigation spanning several months, it was determined that during a severe fog weather event, multiple crashes occurred on I-55 northbound near milepost 14.3,” the LSP report states. “The poor weather conditions and limited visibility prevented the vehicles involved from safely exiting the roadway. Mr. Fleming managed to stop his vehicle safely without colliding with the other crashed vehicles ahead of him. However, due to the congestion caused by the multiple crashes, he was unable to move his vehicle to a safer location off the road.”
Britt, driving an 18-wheeler, continued to travel at a speed of around 60 miles per hour just before the fatal crash, the LSP report states. It was determined that Britt was operating at a negligent speed, given the driving conditions at the time, directly leading to the death of Fleming and the injuries sustained to his wife.
Britt voluntarily surrendered himself to troopers at the St. John the Baptist Correctional Center on Monday, March 11.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
