Three people were killed in an accident early Sunday morning just west of Franklinton.
It happened at the intersection of Highway 16 and Highway 25 shortly after 5 a.m..
A pickup truck traveling east toward Franklinton on Highway 16 did not stop at the double stop signs at the intersection, instead plowing across Highway 25.
The truck slammed into a tree on the other side of Highway 25 and all three of the occupants were killed.
According to state police, the driver was Juan Munoz, 29, of the Covington area. His passengers were Ramon Munoz, 32, also of the Covington area, and Martin Vega, 22, of the Folsom area.
Both Juan Munoz and Ramon Munoz were wearing their seatbelts but the impact of the collision was far too great for the seatbelts to do any good. Vega was not wearing a seatbelt.
All occupants of the pickup truck were pronouned dead on the scene by an assistant Washington Parish coroner.
Blood samples were taken for the state police and the investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing. While the intersection can be busy and Highway 16 motorists need to enter Highway 25 with caution, signage at the intersection is considered adequate by officials.
“It’s an unfortunate situation where someone ran straight through without stopping,” said one official. “There was no collision with another vehicle.....the truck hit a tree a at a high rate of speed.”
