The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is mourning the death of a highway worker after a vehicle crashed into a work zone.

According to a release from the Louisiana State Police, Troopers from Troop G in Desoto Parish instigated an investigation into a fatality crash on US Highway 171 near WPA road.

It appears that a log truck traveling south on US Highway 171 struck two Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development highway maintenance vehicles.

The truck, a 2021 International, was being driven by a 42-year-old man from Florien (near Many, LA).

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The two LA DOTD vehicles were stopped in the right lane of the highway to allow workers to make improvements to the surface of the highway.

According to the release, the log truck struck the first vehicle from the rear, a 2018 Ram truck, pushing it off of the roadway.

The log truck continued on and struck the second LA DOTD vehicle, a 2015 Ford dump truck from the rear.

Standing behind the dump truck was 35-year-old Christopher Gray of Lake Charles, who was a member of the highway work crew.

The impact resulted in the death of Gray and the injury of another highway worker who was standing in the bed of the dump truck.

The driver of the log truck also received injuries, as did two additional DOTD workers. All of those injuries were listed as "moderate".

Louisiana State Police are still investigating the crash, but want to remind you to drive safely. Always buckle up, and always minimize distractions while driving.

Troopers would like to remind all motorists to make good decisions, such as buckling your seat belt, obeying all posted speed limits, and avoiding all distractions while driving.  By remaining attentive to the roadway, motorists give themselves much needed time to react to changing road conditions ahead of them. - LSP

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