After driving into a drainage ditch, an SUV caught fire. The driver and passengers managed to escape without injuries. (photo taken by Mandy Brook Trahan)
Joy ride goes wrong
Three people decided to go joyriding in a sugar cane field off Montgomery Road. The ride, however, did not end too joyfully.
A 20-year-old male, his girlfriend, and a friend decided to go off-road riding in a sugar cane field on Sunday just after 8 p.m. The male was driving a Cadillac Escalade SUV through a sugar cane field, and then he crashed head-on into a drainage ditch.
The three got out of the SUV before it caught fire and burned.
Volunteer fire departments responded and were able to put out the fire before it spread into the field or homes nearby.
According to neighbors who live on Montgomery Street, the SUV was speeding on Montgomery Street before trespassing in the sugar cane field.
As the SUV burned, rounds of ammo in the vehicle ignited, sending bullets flying, according to witnesses at the accident.
“We are all so lucky that the fire did not spread to our properties and no one was injured,” said Tiffany Cavalier, who lives near the accident. “Anything could have happened.”
According to Sammy Laporte of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office, no charges were filed against the SUV driver. Thus, his name will not be released.