Shortly after 3:10 p.m. on Friday, September 22, 2017, Louisiana State Police Troop F responded to a two-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 133 just south of Louisiana Highway 4. The preliminary investigation revealed a 2005 Mazda 6, driven by 16-year-old Tristen Robinson of Columbia, was traveling south on LA 133 when for reasons still under investigation the vehicle ran off the right side of the road. The Mazda reentered the road, drove across both lanes of travel, and was struck in the passenger side door by a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado driven by 39-year-old Jose Vargas of Portland, AR.
Robinson was properly restrained in the vehicle at the time of the crash. However, due to the severity of the crash, she sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Caldwell Parish Coroner’s Office. A passenger in the Mazda, 15-year-old Ava Crockett of Columbia, was also properly restrained but was pronounced dead at the scene. Vargas and a passenger, 38-year-old Martha Salinas of Portland, AR were both properly restrained and were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Toxicology samples were obtained and will be submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.
Caldwell Parish Schools will close Tuesday. Superintendent John Gullatt says "I want our faculty and students to grieve and pay their respects to the families involved." Schools in the parish will resume on Wednesday.