NATCHITOCHES, La. — A driver from Kaplan walked away unharmed late Tuesday night after his vehicle slammed into an interstate guardrail, according to local authorities.
Natchitoches Parish sheriff's deputies and state troopers rushed to the scene of the solo-vehicle wreck at about 10:20 p.m. The incident occurred on the southbound side of Interstate 49, close to mile marker 141 just north of Natchitoches.
Law enforcement officials reported that the 25-year-old Kaplan resident was traveling southbound in a 2019 Ford Flex when his vehicle drifted off the left shoulder and hit a guardrail. Even though the impact caused severe damage to the vehicle and triggered the deployment of the airbags, the driver was secured by his seatbelt and suffered no injuries.
The crash remains under investigation by Louisiana State Police Troop E in Alexandria. Deputy B. Desadier of the sheriff’s office was also on-site to help manage traffic flow around the wreckage.
In the wake of the accident, state and local officials remind the public using a seatbelt drastically lowers the chance of getting hurt or killed in a collision.