A Louisiana man heading home after evacuating ahead of Hurricane Ida was killed in a fiery nine-car pileup that closed part of Interstate 10 on Thursday, according to local authorities.
Timothy Achee, 29, of Metairie, was returning from Houston, where he and his family fled to avoid the storm last month, Maj. Zak Simmers of the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office told McClatchy News.
While riding in a vehicle with his father and brother, a tractor-trailer failed to stop and slammed into a line of stalled traffic on the highway, Simmers said. The result was a deadly nine-car pileup that caused Achee’s car to catch fire.
Photos shared by the sheriff’s office show thick smoke billowing from the wrecked big rig and another car mangled and on fire. Paper and other debris is strewn down the highway. Officials urged drivers to avoid the area as emergency responders worked to battle the flames.
Achee’s father and brother survived the crash with minor injuries, WAFB reported, citing authorities. The family’s dog was killed, according to the news station.
The driver of the big rig, identified as Jack Duff III of Mobile, Alabama, was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and reckless operation, Simmers said. Duff also faces six counts of vehicular injury.