Pedestrian struck by truck in 2005
A Des Allemands man charged with vehicular homicide is scheduled to go to trial on Oct.19, more than four years after he allegedly caused the death of 31-year-old Melvin Woods, III.
Woods was walking down Highway 631 in Des Allemands when he was struck by a 2000 Ford F-350 driven by Kyle Dufrene on Sept. 11, 2005 at 12:30 a.m., according to the Louisiana State Police.
Woods was injured so severely by the impact that he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to accident reports, Dufrene was traveling westbound on the highway when he swerved left into the opposing lane and hit Woods, who was walking on the south side of the highway and headed in a westward direction.
His truck then ran into a drainage ditch on the right side of the highway.
The first officer on the scene told state police that Dufrene said Woods was standing in the roadway and he had swerved to avoid him. The officer said that Dufrene then told him that he had been drinking and pleaded with him to make sure Woods was not injured.
Because Woods’ mother, Jackie Burrell, worked for the St. Charles Parish District Attorney’s Office, the office recused themselves from the case and sent it to the state attorney general’s office. Judge Lauren Lemmon, who was scheduled to hear the case, also had to recuse herself because she had represented Woods in the past, according to court documents. Judge Robert Chaisson made a similar decision because his brother is representing Woods’ family in a civil trial.
The jury trial will now be heard in Judge Emile St. Pierre’s courtroom. It was scheduled to begin on July 20, but was pushed back to Oct. 19.
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