Two Texas men die while attempting to jump car over open drawbridge
Two Texas men died on Friday after they attempted to jump over an open drawbridge in their car in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, according to authories.
The incident occurred close to 2 am on Louisiana Highway 384 (Big Lake Road) at the Black Bayou Bridge about six miles south of Lake Charles.
The Louisiana State Police shared a statement on their official Facebook page regarding the incident and said that officers responded to a single-vehicle crash at the site.
According to the statement, the driver was traveling south on the LA highway in a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The drawbridge was closed at that time for vehicular traffic to allow a boat passing on the Intracoastal Waterway.
However, the statement quoted a witness as saying that "the passenger exited the vehicle and pushed the gate arm up. The driver drove under the gate and picked up the passenger before proceeding towards the ramp located at the end of the bridge. After stopping briefly, the driver placed the vehicle in reverse then accelerated forward in an attempt to 'jump' the ramp of the bridge. The vehicle became airborne, landed in the waterway, and sank to the bottom."
The driver was unable to escape and his body was found in the car, while the passenger's body was found outside in the water. The Calcasieu Parish Coroner’s Office pronounced the two men dead on the scene. The toxicology samples of the men were obtained and is expected to be submitted for analysis. The identity of the victims will only be revealed after the next of kin have been informed; the crash itself continues to be under investigation.