A Louisiana truck driver has been charged with negligent homicide for his role in a fiery highway pileup that left eight dead last year after a “super fog” of marsh fire smoke and dense fog snared more than 160 vehicles, authorities said.
On Oct. 23, Ronald Britt was operating a truck at unsafe speeds on Interstate 55 west of New Orleans when he slammed into the back of a car that had stopped in the left lane behind several other vehicles involved in minor crashes, Louisiana State Police said in a statement Tuesday. That collision killed 60-year-old James Fleming and seriously injured his wife.
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Britt, a 61-year-old commercial truck driver from Lafayette, was arrested on multiple charges, including negligent homicide, negligent injuring, reckless operation and other traffic-related offenses, state police said.
Responders are seen near the wreckage of the multi-vehicle pileup on Interstate 55 in Manchac, Louisiana, on Oct. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
Britt voluntarily surrendered to authorities Monday. It was unknown if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Eight people died in the multi-collision pileup and 63 were injured. It took a month for the interstate to fully reopen after repairs were made to the road and bridge, both damaged by the crashes and vehicle fires.