ST. AMANT, LA (WAFB) -
ST. AMANT, LA (WAFB) - The St. Amant community is pulling together to make sense of a horrible tragedy.
The mother of two of the little girls, Raelynn Encalade, was driving on Stringer Bridge Road along Black Bayou when she lost control sending the car into the murky water late Tuesday night. Neighbors and emergency workers rushed to save the four small children trapped inside.
Stacey Crause says her nine year old daughter, Kamaryn Gara, was inside her aunt Raelynn's car when it plunged into the bayou.
"She was standing on the trunk and the water got real deep. She said where the car was sucking her under too," Stacey Crause said.
Coralee Daenen and her neighbors ran outside to see what happened.
"I was inside and heard a big boom and when I went outside, there was a lady in the canal screaming, 'my babies, my babies" Crause said.
Eliska Redford, who has lived here 30 years, says it is a tragic series of events that keep unfolding in the bayou across the street.
"It scares me to death every time we hear breaks," Redford said.
"My daughter said the tire dropped off and yanked the car into the water," Crause said.
Once the sun came up, Crause returned to the scene of the deadly crash to take pictures of what she and others who live nearby refer to as a treacherous trek of roadway.
"You can't see any road markings here and the road just curves off and goes into the canal," Crause said.
"It's so steep, no side, no shoulder or anything," Redford said.
Once the sun goes down, folks say it is pitch black out here, which can make drivers unfamiliar with the winding path vulnerable.
"One of the better solutions I think is to put warning signals if nothing else, flashing lights maybe," Redford said.
While residents agree something needs to be done, they also say they have noticed drivers speeding and carrying on behind the wheel.
"They'll be on their cell phone, don't pay attention and I think they should pay attention to the road because it's very dangerous," Daenen said.
A spokeswoman with the state Department of Transportation says the agency has requested a data report of the incident from Louisiana State Police and will do a full review of that area to see if any improvements can be made.
Copyright 2012 WAFB. All rights reserved.
The cross in the photo is from an accident in 2008, a 20 year old drowned in the bayou.
