RESERVATION, La. — 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 swamp fire smoke and dense fog ensnared more than 160 vehicles, authorities said.
On Oct. 23, Ronald Britt was driving a truck at unsafe speeds on Interstate 55 west of New Orleans when he struck the rear of a car that had stopped in the left lane behind several other vehicles involved in minor accidents, state police said. Louisiana. in a news release Tuesday. The collision killed 60-year-old James Fleming and seriously injured his wife.
Britt, a 61-year-old commercial truck driver from Lafayette, was arrested on multiple charges, including negligent homicide, negligent wounding, reckless operation and other traffic-related offenses, state police said.
Britt voluntarily surrendered to authorities on Monday. It is not known whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Eight people were killed in the multi-collision crash and 63 were injured. It took a month for the highway to fully reopen after repairs were made to the road and bridge, both damaged by the accidents and vehicle fires.