PRESS RELEASE —

West Baton Rouge Parish – At approximately 2:00 am on October 30, 2017, Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop A began investigating a four vehicle crash on Interstate 10 eastbound east of Grosse Tete in West Baton Rouge Parish. The crash took the life of 55 year old Alex Willett of Orange, TX and his passenger, 53 year old John Mack, of Beaumont, TX.

The initial investigation by State Police revealed that the crash occurred as eastbound traffic on I-10 came to a stop due to congestion from a previous crash. For reasons still under investigation, Willett failed to reduce the speed of his 2016 Peterbuilt as he approached stopped traffic in the right lane. Willett’s vehicle struck the rear of a 2016 Freightliner driven by 48 year old Kimberly Mack of Asheville, NC. The impact pushed Kimberly Mack’s vehicle forward into the rear of a 2013 International driven by 53 year old Bret Bay of Niceville, FL. Kimberly Mack’s vehicle overturned and came to rest in the median. Bay’s vehicle was pushed forward into the rear of a 2016 International driven by 30 year Cleshown Weathersby of Houston, TX.

Alex Willet and John Mack sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crash and was pronounced deceased at the scene by the West Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office. The other parties involved sustained minor to moderate injuries. Impairment is not suspected to be a factor in this crash and a toxicology sample will be taken from all drivers for analysis.