52-year-old hit by multiple cars on road darkened by Ida damage, Louisiana cops say
A pedestrian was killed Sunday night in a hit-and-run on a dark Louisiana road damaged by Hurricane Ida, police said.
Kiet Do, 52, was walking in the eastbound lanes of Highway 428 in Terrytown when he was hit by an “unknown vehicle” just before 8 p.m., according to a news release from Louisiana State Police.
The driver didn’t stop, and Do was left lying in the roadway — where police said he was hit by several more cars.
Police said the “crash ultimately claimed” Do’s life. He was from Gretna, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans.
The highway where he was killed was “very dark” and had no working street lights because of damage caused by Hurricane Ida, police said.
Terrytown is in southeastern Louisiana, where Ida hit as a Category 4 storm on Aug. 29, bringing extreme winds that reached maximum sustained speeds of 150 mph, catastrophic storm surge, heavy rain and flooding.
The storm also caused widespread power outages in Louisiana. Some areas have started to get electricity again, The Washington Post reports. But for some residents, it could be several more weeks of living in the dark and without air conditioning in Louisiana’s sweltering heat as crews work to repair the state’s damaged power infrastructure.
Louisiana State Police encouraged residents to be extra careful while walking near roads until repairs are made.
“Simple precautions such as wearing reflective materials, avoiding distractions, and walking a safe distance from travel lanes while facing oncoming traffic could help prevent many pedestrian related crashes,” police said.
Police are investigating Sunday’s hit-and-run and had not released any other information Monday.
“Troopers would also like to take this opportunity to remind drivers of the consequences of hit-and-run driving,” police said. “Whoever commits the crime of felony hit-and-run driving when death or serious bodily injury is a result, can be fined up to five thousand dollars and face up to ten years in prison.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2021 at 10:25 AM with the headline "52-year-old hit by multiple cars on road darkened by Ida damage, Louisiana cops say."
