Driver trying to pass vehicle dies after colliding head-on with another car, LSP says

ETHEL, La. (WAFB) - Troopers with Louisiana State Police are investigating a head-on collision on Thursday, Feb. 2, that claimed the life of one of the drivers.

LSP Troop A reported Arieana Sanchez Whitfield, 32, of Ethel, died as a result of the crash on LA 19 south of LA 956 in East Feliciana Parish.

NOTE: The point on the map is not the exact spot of the crash, as an exact location was not provided. It is simply a reference point of the area near where the crash happened.

Tpr. Christian Reed said the investigation so far shows Whitfield was headed south on LA 19 in a 2007 Nissan Xterra SUV when she tried to pass another vehicle in a zone where passing is allowed and collided head-on with a 2014 Mercedes-Benz sedan traveling in the opposite direction.

He added Whitfield was not properly buckled up and was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. The other driver, who was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, was taken to a hospital with moderate injuries.

As with all deadly crashes on Louisiana highways, blood samples were collected from both drivers and sent to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for analysis.

The crash remains under investigation.

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