On February 19, 2023, shortly after 1 pm, Louisiana State Police Troop I was notified of a single-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 328 near Juleau Champagne Road in St. Martin Parish. The crash took the life of 41-year-old Christopher Aron Thibodeaux and his nephew, 16-year-old Carter Bryan Potts, both of Breaux Bridge.
According to State Police, the crash occurred as Thibodeaux was driving a 2017 Ford Escape west on LA 328. For reasons still under investigation, the vehicle ran off the road to the left and entered the ditch on the south side of the road. The vehicle then exited the ditch and began to overturn several times in the field beyond the ditch.
Thibodeaux was not restrained and was ejected from the vehicle. Potts suffered fatal injuries despite being properly restrained. Both occupants were pronounced dead at the scene by the St. Martin Parish Coroner’s Office. Impairment is unknown and a toxicology sample was obtained for analysis. This crash remains under investigation, officials say.
Troop I has investigated 11 fatal crashes resulting in 13 deaths in 2023.
