State Police charge a Hammond man with vehicular negligent homicide as result of a crash on I-12 near Covington that killed a one-month old child. Senior Trooper Dustin Dwight says 62-year-old Erroll Nugent missed his exit to Highway 190 and instead of turning around at the next exit, he tried a U-Turn through the grassy median.
Dwight says, "When he attempted to reenter I-12, he pulled directly in the path of an 18-wheeler which struck the rear of his vehicle."
Dwight says one-month old Bryce Martin from Hammond was killed in the impact with the 18-wheeler. Nugent and three others in his vehicle were injured. He says Troopers suspected Nugent was impaired.
Dwight expresses, "It's never a good idea to pull into the center median unless there's an emergency. There's several alternatives if you pass your exit. Simply go into the next exit and turn around."
Dwight says the one-month-old victim was also not properly restrained. He says Nugent faces numerous charges.
Dwight says, "The driver was impaired and driving with a suspended driver's license. The child was unrestrained. If these decisions are different, we're not dealing with these types of consequences."