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Passed-out driver causes crash in Houma, police say

03:18 PM CDT on Monday, July 7, 2008

Matthew Pleasant / Houma Courier

HOUMA -- A seven-vehicle wreck clogged traffic at one of Terrebonne Parish’s busiest intersections Saturday after a driver passed out at the wheel, State Police say. No one was seriously injured.

At 10:30 a.m., State Police said they responded to a report of a multiple car wreck at the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Hollywood Road.

Emily Schwarze / Houma Courier

A seven-vehicle wreck that caused what police described as several minor injuries occurred about 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Hollywood Road, along Houma’s busiest shopping thoroughfare.

Two teenage boys say their father suddenly lost consciousness while driving their Ford Expedition, State Police said. The SUV was headed toward Martin Luther King Boulevard from South Hollywood Road.

State Trooper Clifton Dupre said a medical condition caused the driver to lose consciousness. Police do not suspect alcohol or drug use, he said.

"No negligence is involved," Dupre said. "He passed out unexpectedly. He didn’t have time to park or deal with his condition."

No one who saw the wreck came forward to describe how the incident occurred, Dupre said. State Police were left to piece together the wreck from interviews with drivers and passengers involved.

With an unconscious driver at the wheel of the SUV, a chain of collisions unfolded at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Hollywood Road. Here’s what troopers said happened next:

The Expedition veered left toward a pedestrian, and the 18-year-old in the passenger seat grabbed the wheel. The vehicle sideswiped a Mitsubishi and Chevrolet truck stopped in the South Hollywood Road right-turn lane.

After hitting the Chevrolet truck, the Expedition headed onto Martin Luther King Boulevard and struck a Lincoln Navigator headed north through the intersection.

The Navigator rotated counter-clockwise and struck a Honda Pilot idling in the left turn lane of MLK Boulevard.

After striking the Navigator, the Expedition spun counter clockwise and struck a Nissan Xterra traveling through the intersection and then ran off the road, knocking down a street sign.

Still in gear, the SUV drove back onto MLK Boulevard, struck a man on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and finally came to rest in the middle of the intersection.

Including drivers and passengers of each vehicle, 13 people were involved. A dispatcher with Acadian Ambulance said paramedics drove five people to Terrebonne General Medical Center with minor injuries.