Funeral arrangements set for woman killed in hit and run in Lincoln Parish
RUSTON, LA (KSLA) - Funeral arrangements have been set for a Shreveport woman who was killed Sunday afternoon in a hit and run wreck in Lincoln Parish.
Police say 19-year-old Sylesia Howard was heading west on I-20 in the left lane in her 1998 Saturn SL when an unknown vehicle that was also heading west in the right lane swerved into the path of the Saturn.
According to information released by State Police, this caused the Saturn to travel off the left side of the road and lose control. The Saturn then crossed back over both westbound lanes of Interstate 20 and traveled off the right side of the Interstate where it struck a tree. The unknown vehicle continued traveling west and did not stop. The unknown vehicle is a light colored SUV or truck. Witnesses were unable to obtain a license plate or driver description.
Howard was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lincoln Parish Coroner's office.
19-year-old Deion Sibley of Shreveport was a passenger in the car with Howard. Sibley was taken to the Northeast Louisiana Medical Center in Ruston with minor injuries.
A routine toxicology sample was taken from Howard and will be submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.
Family hour for Howard will be held on Friday, April 19th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bill Cockrell Center located at 4109 Pines Road in Shreveport. Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 20th at Howard's alma mater, Captain Shreve High School at 11 a.m.
Anyone with information on this crash is asked to contact Louisiana State Police Troop F by dialing 318-345-0000 or, if using a cell phone, *LSP (*577).
Included in the LSP statement on this particular wreck is a reminder: "While the exact cause of this crash is unknown, inattentive and distracted driving is dangerous and is a leading cause of crashes in our state. It is important for motorists to pay attention to what is going on outside of the vehicle they are driving. More information on distracted driving may be found online at the federal government's official distracted driving website, www.distraction.gov."
Troop F has investigated 12 fatal crashes which have resulted in 14 deaths so far this year.
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