UPDATE: State Police have identified the man killed in a crash on La 103 Wednesday as 46-year-old Avery Charles Hudson of Opelousas.
Troopers were notified of a single-vehicle crash on La 103 near Cheramie Road in St. Landry Parish shortly before 2 p.m. The initial investigation revealed that the crash occurred as Hudson was driving a GMC pickup south on La 103 at a high rate of speed when his vehicle ran off the roadway.
Upon doing so, troopers say Hudson's vehicle struck several trees and then entered into Bayou Teche, where it became submerged.
Hudson's vehicle was located with the assistance of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office Dive Team.
State Police say Hudson's vehicle was suspected of being involved in two hit-and-run injury crashes on US 190 just prior to the crash on La 103.
KATC spoke with St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz who says they received a call that a vehicle ran off the roadway on Wednesday afternoon. They say the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed on LA 103 just south of Port Barre.
Witnesses told deputies that the vehicle hit the right shoulder and ran off the road , hitting trees before it went into the bayou.
Guidroz says they put out two boats with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's dive team. The sheriff explains that crews sent a magnet down to find the truck. It took two hours for them to locate the vehicle.
"The safety of the divers was very important to us. Once they located the vehicle they were able to lift the vehicle from the water," he said.
The body of the driver, a man, was in the truck. The Sheriff says he knows the man personally and he has spoken with the family.
Hudson was restrained at the time of the crash. Impairment is unknown; standard toxicology samples were obtained.
The crash remains under investigation.
