LAFAYETTE PARISH (SCOTT) — A local community is mourning the loss of a second-grade teacher who was killed in a crash on I-10 Tuesday.
“She went over and beyond for everybody—not just certain students, but everyone.”
Elaine Austin, a second-grade English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, is being remembered as a dedicated educator and a valued part of the school community.
“And I look down and I’m like, the wreck that my wife was backed up in—and I didn’t—it was my school teacher. And I didn’t know where to put myself. I texted my wife. I was like, ‘Babe, it was Miss Austin.’”
Police say Austin was driving eastbound on I-10 Tuesday afternoon, just west of University Avenue, when a vehicle behind her crashed into her car as she was slowing down.
“It hit home.”
Former Longview Preparatory student and family friend Andre Delahoussaye says he remembers Austin not just as a teacher, but as someone who became close with his family.
“She was teaching me, but also she became a friend of the family. My mother was a retired school teacher, and they became really close. When my mother passed away, Miss Austin was there at the funeral.”
Delahoussaye, who struggles with dyslexia, says Austin supported him academically during middle school.
“She took a regular index card and said, ‘This is how we’re going to read with this dyslexia. Take that extra three seconds.’ I was kind of lost and not myself, but she knew how to reach out, get ahold of me, and bring me back.”
He hopes Austin’s legacy of patience and understanding will continue to inspire others.
“Use her as a teacher to learn from.
