UPDATE: Seven fatalities- not eight- in I-55 pileup
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. (WGNO) — The Louisiana State Police have announced that seven people were killed as a result of the multi-car crash on I-55 on Monday, Oct. 23, not eight, as was initially reported.
In a press release emailed to the media on Friday, Oct. 28, State Police said that the "intense fire and the extensive wreckage led Troopers to believe that there were a total of eight victims."
However, the St. John the Baptist Parish Coroner’s Office, Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office, and The LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services Laboratory determined that there are no additional victims in the accident, leaving the count at seven fatalities.
The coroner identified seven of the victims as follows:
- 87-year-old James Flemming
- 49-year-old Nakia Gaines
- 6-year-old Mason Gaines
- 49-year-old Fernando Fransisco DeMoraes
- 38-year-old Jose Elias Valley
- 21-year-old Corinne Hebert
- 47-year-old Quatab Singh Negi
On Thursday, Oct. 26, DOTD officials announced the reopening of one lane of the southbound side of the interstate overpass. The northbound lanes will remain closed as inspections continue.
Officials have provided resources through the Louisiana Department of Health's behavioral health website to assist those affected by the incident.