Weekend accident claims one life

A one-car accident Saturday took the life of a Start woman.

Troopers assigned to Louisiana State Police Troop F responded to a fatal crash shortly after 9 a.m. Dec. 28 on Louisiana Highway 133.

The preliminary investigation revealed a 2010 Mercury Mountaineer, driven by 87-year-old Delores Sapp, was traveling north on Louisiana Highway 133. For reasons still under investigation, the Mercury SUV crossed the center line, traveled through a ditch, and struck a utility pole. Sapp, who was not wearing a seat belt, received life threatening injuries during the crash and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

A toxicology sample was taken from Sapp and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.

Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash. Failure to take a few seconds to buckle up can have devastating consequences. Louisiana law requires every person in a vehicle, regardless of seating position, to be properly restrained day or night.

In 2019, Troop F has investigated 39 fatal crashes resulting in 44 deaths.