State Police are investigating an Iberia Parish crash that left a Carencro man dead this morning.
The accident happened at about 7 a.m. on LA Highway 83 south of Sidney Leblanc Road in Iberia Parish. The crash claimed the life of 36-year-old Evans Cloteaux of Carencro.
State Police say Cloteaux was operating a 2009 Harley Davidson southbound on LA 83 behind a Toyota SUV, operated by a New Iberia man. There was another uninvolved motorcycle in between Cloteaux’s motorcycle and the Toyota SUV. The driver of the SUV began slowing his Toyota to turn left off of LA 83 onto a private driveway. In order to avoid hitting the Toyota and the other motorcycle, Cloteaux traveled into the northbound lane and began to brake. Cloteaux was unable to maintain control, and was ejected from the motorcycle and struck the under carriage of the Toyota.
Cloteaux was wearing an approved DOT helmet, but sustained fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead on scene by the Iberia Parish Coroner’s Office.
The driver of the SUV wasn’t injured. Impairment is not suspected; however, routine toxicology samples were taken from Cloteaux and submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for analysis. The SUV was not suspected to be impaired, but voluntarily submitted to a chemical test and was not impaired.
Although not all crashes are survivable, Troopers would like to encourage all riders to take an approved motorcycle safety course. These courses help you apply safe riding strategies that can help reduce your chance of injury should a crash occur. Making good choices while riding a motorcycle, such as never driving while impaired and obeying all traffic laws, can often mean the difference between life and death. For more information on the Louisiana Motorcycle Safety, Awareness, and Operator Training Program, click here.
