A 53-year-old Slidell woman died after being involved in a head-on collision with a freight train Friday night.
Police say Jamii F. Pizzitolo was driving a 2004 gold Oldsmobile Alero 11:30 p.m. when the collision happened at the intersection of Front St. and Pennsylvania Ave. According to witnesses, Pizzitolo made a left turn onto the railroad tracks when a train heading southbound struck her vehicle, causing the fatal head-on collision.
Pizzitolo was airlifted to University Hospital where she later died from her injuries, police said.
According to police, they had received a 911 call about a possible drunk driver who was driving a vehicle that matched the description of Pizzitolo’s vehicle. Police were unable to locate the vehicle at the time. An hour later, when police arrived at the scene of the head-on collision, they found that Pizzitolo’s vehicle was the same one they had been searching for earlier that night.
Police believe impairment could be a factor in the fatal crash. Toxicology reports are pending.
