A utility worker was killed in St. Tammany Parish after being struck by an impaired driver while directing traffic.
State Police say they began an investigation shortly after 8:15 pm on September 10 into a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian on LA Hwy 433 near Napoleon Avenue in the parish.
The crash claimed the life of a utility worker assisting with Hurricane Ida recovery.
Troopers says the identity of the person killed is being withheld pending proper notification to next of kin.
An initial investigation found that the utility worker was guiding traffic on LA Hwy 433 when he was struck by a westbound vehicle, driven by John Kite of Slidell.
According to State Police, Kite's vehicle impacted a "lane closed" traffic control sign and multiple orange cones before striking the utility worker.
They say the worker was wearing reflective gear at the time of the crash.
The worker sustained serious injuries as a result of the crash and succumbed to those injuries several days later at a local hospital.
Kite was not injured during the crash and troopers say impairment is suspected to be a factor.
Troopers arrested and transported Kite to a nearby facility where he provided a breath sample that allegedly tested over the legal limit for alcohol.
After the breath test was administered, Troopers say they booked Kite into the Slidell City Jail for violating L.R.S. 14:39.1 Vehicular Negligent Injuring.
The crash remains under investigation with additional charges pending.
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