Swartz – A Georgia man was killed Monday in a two-vehicle wreck in Ouachita Parish that left the other driver facing a homicide charge.
According to information from Louisiana State Police, the crash occurred shortly before 6 p.m. on LA Hwy 139, just south of LA Hwy 134.
“The initial investigation revealed a 2003 GMC Sonoma, driven by 35-year-old Jorge Rodriguez-Zuniga of Bastrop, was traveling northbound on LA Hwy 139,” LSP officials said in a prepared statement. “For reasons still under investigation, Rodriguez-Zuniga crossed the center line and traveled into the path of a 2015 Yamaha motorcycle, driven by [74-year-old] Deaton Jr. [of Danielsville, Ga.] After impact, the GMC sideswiped a 2011 Saab.”
Deaton Jr., who officials said was wearing an approved Department of Transportation helmet, was ejected from the motorcycle and pronounced dead on the scene by emergency workers.
At the time of the crash, officials said, Rodriguez-Zuniga showed signs of impairment and was arrested. He was booked into the Ouachita Correctional Center and charged with vehicular homicide and no driver’s license.
A toxicology sample was obtained and submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.
LSP officials said the public needs to be keenly aware of how alcohol impairs drivers.
“Motorists must be reminded that alcohol has many effects on the body. If you feel different, you drive different. Alcohol can impair visual ability, alter sense of time and space, impair fine motor skills needed to operate a motor vehicle and decrease reaction times. Just one drink may cause these effects. Whether impaired through alcohol or drugs, the consequences can be the same.”
In 2021, Troop F has investigated 24 fatal crashes resulting in 27 deaths.
