IBERVILLE PARISH, La. (WAFB) - Concerns about the LA-77 and Enterprise Blvd. intersection in Plaquemine are rising as traffic and crashes continue to increase in the area, leading Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi to call on the state for a solution.
The only warning a stop is coming up where Enterprise meets LA-77 is one sign and rumble strips, something that has caused quite a bit of anxiety for drivers in the area. On Monday, Gracie Romero says it landed her fiancé in the hospital.
“We pulled up. I saw his truck was in the ditch. Oh, I mean, there wasn’t a single part of that vehicle that did not have a dent on it. It was completely smashed in the front,” Romero said.
She says her fiancé, Aaron Touchet, was driving down LA-77 when he hit a car traveling through the stop sign, swinging his truck into the ditch. She says the crash caused his spleen to lacerate, and he is now recovering in the surgical trauma unit. But, she says, it’s only a matter of time before someone isn’t as lucky.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to near about swerve off the road with my three-year-old in the vehicle to try to avoid someone, to try to avoid the accident altogether,” Romero said.
It’s a problem that has Sheriff Brett Stassi calling on the state to come take a look at possible solutions.
“I’ve personally seen people see the stop sign, lock up the brakes, and slide through the intersection. So, something, we have to do something different than we have here,” Sheriff Stassi said.
Sheriff Stassi says that as traffic in the area increases, it makes the intersection more dangerous. Since 2022, there have been 13 crashes on record at this intersection.
He sent a letter to the DOTD secretary to see what can be done, and DOTD confirmed they are looking into it. In the meantime, Sheriff Stassi says he’s asking the parish council to see about replacing the blinking light on top of the stop sign.
“It’s a rural place, but it’s a highly used intersection. And we got to make sure that the farm industry can use what we have here. And we want to make sure we can do whatever we can,” Sheriff Stassi said.
Romero says she hopes to see that solution come sooner rather than later.
“It’s very upsetting, and we definitely need our leaders and stuff like that to make a difference to prevent anyone else from getting hurt or worse than that,” Romero said.
to report a typo. Please include the headline.
to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Watch the latest WAFB news and weather now.