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Unrestrained driver killed in two-vehicle collision in St. Tammany

WGNO Web Desk

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2020 file photo, a heavy Louisiana State Police presence is seen at the New Chapel Hill Baptist Church during funeral services for Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth in West Monroe, La. An Associated Press review of thousands of records has revealed multiple cases when Louisiana State troopers and some of their supervisors exchanged emails with casual, demeaning uses of the n-word. All of it comes against the backdrop of a federal civil rights investigation over the in-custody death of a Black motorist that has roiled the state's premier law enforcement agency and led to an abrupt change in its leadership. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

BUSH, La. — Louisiana State Police Troop L are investigating a fatal crash in which an unrestrained driver from Pearl River, Miss., was killed.

The crash occurred Tuesday, shortly before 5 p.m., on LA 41 north of LA 36 in St. Tammany Parish.


The initial investigation revealed that 45-year-old Phillip E. Bennett was traveling northbound on LA 41 in a 2004 Toyota Camry when the roadway began to curve to the left. 

For reasons still under investigation, Bennett crossed the double yellow center line into the southbound lane in front of a 2013 Toyota Highlander.  The vehicles collided head on and came to rest in the roadway. 

Bennett was unrestrained during the crash and was transported to a local area hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.  The driver of the Toyota Highlander was properly restrained and was also transported to a local area hospital due to injuries sustained in the crash. 

Impairment is not suspected to be a causal factor in the crash.