Hammond – On Wednesday, June 3, 2020 shortly after midnight, Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop L responded to a fatal crash on Interstate 12 westbound near Airport Road in Tangipahoa Parish. The crash took the life of 30-year-old Jory W. Thaxton.
The initial investigation led Troopers to determine that, Thaxton was traveling westbound on Interstate 12 in the right lane at a high rate of speed in a 2016 Toyota Corolla. For reasons still under investigation, Thaxton rear-end impacted a 2010 Freightliner 18-wheeler driven by 56-year-old Leon Roland of Phoenix Arizona. Thaxton sustained severe injuries in the crash and was taken to a local hospital before being pronounced deceased. Seatbelts were used by both drivers and impairment is not suspected. As a part of the crash investigation, a blood sample was collected for scientific analysis from Thaxton. Roland submitted a voluntary breath sample which showed no amount of alcohol present.