Jailon Rhine of Jeanerette was 18 when he died after a collision on Louisiana Highway 674 near Cherri Lane. Louisiana State Police said the two vehicles met head-on shortly before midnight on January 28, 2026. Rhine was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries and died there. The other driver was also seriously injured.
The public account and a detail that differs
In its January 29 release, State Police Troop I identified Rhine as the driver of an eastbound 2013 Cadillac XTS. A 2015 Ford F-350 was traveling west. The Cadillac collided with the front of the Ford, the agency said, for reasons still under investigation. Both drivers were wearing seat belts, according to the release. Troopers collected standard toxicology samples from both and submitted them for analysis, but the release did not give results. It did not identify the Ford driver by name or announce charges.
KPEL reported, attributing the detail to a State Police public affairs trooper, that investigators believed the Cadillac crossed the centerline. The written State Police release does not say that. This is a meaningful difference: the direction of travel and the head-on impact are in the official written account, while the reported centerline movement needs the completed investigation or another direct agency statement to confirm. Neither account establishes why the vehicles came together or a final allocation of fault. The reports also differ on timing: the written State Police release says shortly before 12:00 a.m. on January 28, while KPEL says just after midnight. This article follows the agency’s written date and time rather than resolving that difference by inference.
Why a family may need more than the release
A public statement cannot show every measurement, witness account, vehicle position, or test result. For this crash, those records would matter especially because the written release leaves the cause open. The finished investigation may also clarify whether the centerline detail reported by KPEL is supported by physical evidence. Our head-on collision guide discusses the kinds of evidence that can distinguish a lane departure from other possible explanations; it is not an account of what happened on LA 674.
Louisiana R.S. 32:398 makes investigative crash reports available to specified people, including parties, insurers, succession representatives, and their attorneys. Upon request, it provides for access by authorized people within seven working days after completion of the investigation. That is different from seven days after the crash. An affected person can keep the incident date and location, ask Troop I about report availability, and preserve any firsthand photos or witness information rather than filling gaps in the public release with guesses.
The LSP report portal says fatal reports are not available online. Its Traffic Records Unit guidance directs purchasers of fatal-crash reports to a local Troop office and lists a separate waiting period for fatality photographs. Ask the agency about this file’s status and current request procedure; an ordinary processing estimate is not a finding that the investigation is complete.
After any serious crash, address emergency and medical needs first and follow the treating clinician’s advice. Save your own account, original photos and recordings, witness contacts, treatment paperwork and insurer correspondence. Ask about lawful preservation of video, phone records and available vehicle data. Keep claim numbers and adjuster contacts, and clarify any policy-cooperation duties before giving a recorded statement while injured or medicated. Families can also gather available death, funeral and insurance documents.
Injury and death claims are separate questions
The Ford driver suffered serious injuries, while Rhine’s family lost a young relative. Neither injury nor loss by itself establishes a claim against another driver. The cause, each person’s conduct, available insurance, and the identity of a legally entitled claimant would have to be examined. If another person’s fault caused a death, Louisiana distinguishes the family’s wrongful death damages from a survival action for the deceased person’s own injuries. The firm’s Louisiana wrongful death and survival page explains those claims. Its guide to selecting counsel offers questions a family can ask about the investigation, staffing, and fees.
For incidents in January 2026, Civil Code article 3493.1 generally provides two years from injury or damage for delictual actions. Articles 2315.1 and 2315.2 have distinct survival and wrongful death timing and beneficiary terms. The precise deadline cannot be calculated from this news account. Article 2323 governs comparative fault for 2026 incidents, but nothing in the written release supports assigning a percentage to either driver now.
If the responsible driver’s insurance is insufficient, a review may include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage under R.S. 22:1295. Policy terms, any coverage-selection or rejection documents, and notice requirements must be checked; coverage cannot be assumed from the seriousness of the crash.
Babcock Injury Lawyers can help review available reports, preserve evidence, communicate with insurers and examine coverage and deadlines. For a consultation, use our contact page or call (225) 500-5000. Intake is available 24/7. The Ruston office number for readers in North Louisiana is (318) 777-5000.
Sources and update status
- Louisiana State Police, January 29, 2026 release, for the incident facts.
- KPEL, January 30, 2026, for its separately attributed centerline detail.
- La. R.S. 32:398; Civil Code article 3493.1; article 2315.1; article 2315.2; article 2323.
- Calcasieu Parish News, dated January 28, 2026, also reported the collision based on State Police information.
- General safety resources from the earlier article: NHTSA on seat belts, distraction, drowsy driving and impaired driving. They do not establish a contributing factor in this collision.
Earlier reporting-research date: February 22, 2026. Earlier source-check date: September 28, 2026. The public sources above do not establish a final cause, toxicology result, or civil fault finding.
This article gives general legal and safety information. Outcomes and deadlines depend on the evidence, the claim and applicable law.
To report a possible factual error, contact [email protected] with the detail and supporting source for review.