Driver dies when car plunges into canal
Airline Drive site has been scene of several deaths in recent years
Friday, August 12, 2005
By Allen Powell II and Littice Bacon-Blood
Staff writers
A single-car accident on Airline Drive in Destrehan ended in death when the car, with the driver inside, sank into a canal alongside the road Thursday night.
The accident occurred about 6:30 p.m. when the driver lost control of the car while traveling northbound on Airline north of Ormond Boulevard, said State Police Trooper Omar Landrum. Landrum said it appeared that the driver, identified as Ranae Toney Scott, 32, of LaPlace, hit the median while driving in the left lane, then swerved across the right lane of traffic. The vehicle then went off the road into the swampy canal.
Landrum said there were no other passengers in the 2002 Pontiac Grand Am and that no other cars were believed to have been involved with the accident. The vehicle was pulled from the swamp about 8:40 p.m. by St. Charles Parish firefighters after being located by divers from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
Fatal accidents have become an all-too-familiar scene to motorists in St. Charles Parish.
In February of 2003, four Destrehan siblings died when their vehicle swerved into the canal, and in April of that year, a Destrehan woman and her 3-year-old daughter drowned when their vehicle plunged into the water.
A task force of about 12 local, state and federal officials was formed after those two accidents to assess the safety of Airline Drive. Task force investigations revealed that 1,500 crashes occurred between the Jefferson Parish line and Apple Street in Norco between 1993 and 2003. Officials recommended in the fall of 2004 spending $800,000 to close median gaps and create more turn lanes.
Ceon Bazile of LaPlace said that although she was driving behind the car, she was not looking when it left the road.
"All I saw was dust and then the car was gone," Bazile said. "I can't even understand it because there was nobody out there or nothing." She said she quickly pulled to the side of the road and called 911.
Warren Morgan of LaPlace and an employee of his were driving north on Airline when they saw the car, which appeared to be floating. They made a U-turn and saw the car start to sink.
Morgan's employee, who asked not to be identified, pulled off his work boots and dived into the water. More than an hour after his rescue attempt, he stood barefoot alongside the road, waiting and watching for news.
"I just feel bad that I couldn't get there fast enough," he said.
Randy and Ginger Guarino of Metairie were headed to pick up their motor home in preparation for a camping trip when they noticed the traffic stopped along the road. When they learned that a car had gone in, Randy Guarino maneuvered his Jeep Wrangler Rubicon to the water's edge, and another passer-by unhooked the SUV's winch and went into the water in search of the vehicle. However, the passer-by was unable to locate it.
"You can only pray," said Ginger Guarino as she watched workers attempting to locate the vehicle in the murky water. "That's all I've been doing."
Many motorists, including Roy Buras of Destrehan, are well-acquainted with the treacherous history of the canal. He has three teenage daughters who drive Airline frequently, he said.
"All of my kids have glass-breakers in their car because of this," Buras said, pointing to the canal. "This has been a problem for years, and they won't do nothing about it. I worry a lot about (my daughters.)"
Lisa Cobb of Kenner and Leonora Foster of LaPlace echoed the sentiment, saying a "wall or something" needs to be put up.
"It has taken too many lives," Cobb said.
. . . . . . .
Ranae was a co-worker of mine. I ask is that everyone here at Storm2k please keep her in your prayers. Thank you very much
Durel "LaPlaceFF" Millet
Wal-Mart 0961-LaPlace, LA
A co worker of mine passed away....
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TexasStooge
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Skywatch_NC
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So very sorry, Durel...prayers and thoughts sent to Ranae's family, friends and co-workers. 
Eric
Eric
Last edited by Skywatch_NC on Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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DaylilyDawn
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So sorry about your co-worker. we lost my hubby's uncle at work when the pile of rock he was working collasped and covered his bull dozer with rock pulling him down itnot the pile of rock. My hubby and his uncle both worked at the same plant and saw each other frequently. We found out about it when my hubby's supervisor called him to tell him about it. His sister found out about it when she was watching tv, that her brother was the one who died.
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