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Houma man remembers roommate killed in fatal crash

Although the two men only knew each other for about a month, they shared a room at the Maison De’ville Nursing Home at 107 S. Hollywood Road.
Credit: Houma Courier
Jack Besting (left) and Wayne Champagne Sr.

Wayne Champagne Sr. didn’t realize Sunday afternoon would be the last time he would see his roommate Jack Basting alive.

“It was about 2:30 p.m. Sunday,” Champagne said. “We had bingo going on at the home and Jack didn’t want to participate in it and decided to go to the store. I told him I would see him when he got back, and that was pretty much the end of it.”

Hours later Champagne learned Basting had been struck and killed by two cars while crossing Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Houma.

RELATED: Pedestrian dead after being struck by two cars in Houma

“It’s tragic,” the 59-year-old Houma man said. “He was a good friend.”

Although the two men only knew each other for about a month, they shared a room at the Maison De’ville Nursing Home at 107 S. Hollywood Road, just about 2,000 feet from the scene of the accident.

“He just moved into the home here and we got to talking and became real good friends,” Champagne said. “He was a really nice roommate. He was very clean and took really good care of himself. He was a really kind fellow. We got along good.”

According to State Police, the accident occurred about 6:30 p.m. just north of Hollywood Road. Basting was crossing Martin Luther King Boulevard’s left southbound lane and was hit by a southbound 2015 Toyota Corolla driven by 24-year-old Houma resident Jerimiah Thomas.

Basting was then stuck a second time by a 2104 Honda Accord traveling behind Thomas and driven by 21-year-old Mary Schwab, of Houma, authorities said.

The 62-year-old was transported to Terrebonne Medical Center, where he died from his injuries, State Police said. Thomas and Schwab were both wearing seat belts and were not injured.

Neither driver had been drinking alcohol, and no charges were filed, Senior Trooper Jesse LaGrange said.

“It must have been tragic for those two young people after going through a situation like that,” Champagne said.

A former professional boxer, Basting would regale listeners about his exploits in the ring against opponents all over the country, Champagne said.

“He talked a lot about his boxing career and where he grew up,” Champagne said. “He would show us some of his matches on Youtube. His ability to get around wasn’t as swift as when he was a boxer. The older you get the slower your reactions become.”

Sunday’s accident is a grim reminder of the hazardous conditions of Martin Luther King Boulevard, Champagne said. LaGrange said there have been 19 crashes on that roadway so far in 2019. Four of the crashes involved injuries, and there was one fatality.

“The amount of traffic going through that area is very congested,” Champagne said. “They really need to have more pedestrian walkways so people can get across. Otherwise it’s very difficult. There also need to be more sidewalks. I plan on talking to my congressman to get some crosswalks made by the intersection so people can cross over to the other side.”

Champagne in the meantime is pleading with motorists to be cognizant of their surroundings, especially when driving on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

“People need to be a little more cautious and slow down a little bit,” he said. “They need to be more alert of what’s going on around them. There just might be a motorcycle they can’t see or a pedestrian.”

--Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter@DanVCopp.

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