Five killed, 10 seriously injured in minibus accident in Louisiana

Five people were killed and 10 seriously injured on Saturday when a minibus crashed on I-10 near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, state police said.
Fifteen people were in the van, Trooper said Graham Russell, and only two were seatbelts. Among the dead were children aged 3 years, he said.

“Minibus blew a tire and the driver lost control,” said Graham. Vehicle “sideswiped the truck window, then ran off the road into the left median, rolled several times and finally stopped in an upright position on the east side of M-10,” said Graham.

One person in the car was not injured.

Random shut down I-10 in both directions shortly after 12:15 pm (1:15 pm ET); one lane in each direction were opened about two hours.

Alcohol and drugs are not suspected factors in the accident, but the blood was taken from the driver – one of the victims – to confirm, “said Graham.

The accident occurred shortly after the Louisiana Legislature passed a law requiring riders in each seat to be buckled up.

“This is an example of why we exercise this right,” said Graham. “It’s very disappointing to come here and see the children of the dead,” he said.