CPSO investigating two separate traffic fatalities in Starks

Published 4:36 pm Monday, June 17, 2024

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating two separate traffic fatalities that occurred on Father’s Day.

Spokesperson Kayla Vincent said at about 3 a.m. Sunday, deputies were dispatched to a single-vehicle accident on Green Moore Road near Doyle Cemetery Road in Starks.

Vincent said a truck was traveling north on Green Moore Road when it crossed the centerline, running off the roadway and striking a tree.  The driver of the truck, Shawn D. Dreyer, 21, of Orange, Texas, was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger of the truck was air lifted to a local hospital with serious bodily injuries and is listed in critical condition.

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The crash is under investigation but speed appears to be a factor; seatbelt use is unknown at this time, Vincent said.

At about 1 p.m. Sunday, deputies were dispatched to another single-vehicle accident involving a motorcycle on Green Island Road in Starks.

Vincent said the driver was traveling north on Green Island Road when he failed to negotiate a curve causing the motorcycle to run off the roadway.  The driver Rick J. Hampton, 37, of Orange, Texas, was ejected from the motorcycle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The fatality is still under investigation, but speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, she said.