One charged after Independence man dies in two-vehicle crash in Livingston Parish

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A man was arrested and charged after one person was killed in a head-on crash Monday afternoon in Livingston Parish.

Louisiana State Police identified the crash victim as Raymond Lexia Jr., 47, of Independence.

Mitchell Ballard, 35, was charged with negligent homicide and careless operation in connection with this crash. He was booked into the Livingston Parish Jail.

Before the crash, Lexia drove a 2001 Ford Ranger north on Louisiana Highway 43 while Ballard drove south in a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. Officials said the crash happened before 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26 near Turkey Creek Road.

“For reasons still under investigation, the Chevrolet traveled off the roadway, overcorrected, and entered the northbound lanes of travel, impacting the Ford in a head-on manner,” according to a news release from LSP.

Lexia was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash but died at the scene. Ballard was not wearing a seat belt and suffered minor injuries, LSP said.

While investigators do not suspect that impairment played a part in this crash, LSP said standard toxicology samples would be taken for analysis.

The investigation into this crash remains ongoing.

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