BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A 19-year-old LSU student died in a two-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 190 near Jennings Road in St. Landry Parish last week.
Courtney Hodge was killed shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22, when her vehicle rear-ended a commercial motor vehicle, according to Louisiana State Police Troop I.
According to her family, Hodge was heading home to Red Oak, Texas, in the Dallas area, after finishing her freshman year at LSU. She was majoring in political science and planned on going to law school.
A 2005 Kenworth commercial motor vehicle was traveling west on LA-190 approaching Jennings Road, troopers said. A 2025 Kia K4 was traveling west on LA-190 behind the commercial vehicle. The commercial vehicle began to slow as it was approaching a crossover. For unknown reasons, the Kia failed to slow and rear-ended the commercial vehicle.
Hodge was not properly restrained and sustained fatal injuries, troopers said. She died at the scene. A toxicology sample was collected from Hodge and submitted for analysis.
The crash remains under investigation.
Louisiana State Police said distracted and inattentive driving continues to be a leading cause of crashes in the state. Troopers urged motorists to stay alert while driving and to ensure every occupant is properly restrained.