Tow truck driver killed in collision while recovering an abandoned vehicle on I-10 East

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – A man is dead and another in jail, after a deadly crash in New Orleans East early Saturday morning, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Just before 2:50, officers said they were called to the scene of a crash on Interstate 10 East near Ridgeway Drive and when they arrived they found a man lying on the shoulder of the roadway, unresponsive.

He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Investigations revealed, a tow truck was on the scene picking up a disabled unoccupied van located on the shoulder of the interstate when for reasons unknown a black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck heading east, collided with the back of the van.

Police said the van then crashed into the tow truck, striking the driver during the incident. The pickup truck came to rest in a grassy area near the interstate.

The driver of the Chevrolet Silverado, identified as 34-year-old Kirk Jefferson, sustained minor injuries during the crash but officers said he stayed on the scene and cooperated with detectives.

Jefferson was arrested on one count of vehicular homicide and will be booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center.

The Orleans Parish Coroners office will release the victims identity after an autopsy is done and the family is notified.

Anyone with additional information on this incident is asked to call NOPD Traffic Fatality Investigator Richard Chambers at 504-658-6205.