Trey Bouterie, 31, of Lacombe, died after being struck by a Dodge Ram pickup truck on Jackson Street near Cryer Street in Lacombe on Monday evening, November 2, 2026. The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office publicly identified him on November 5.
According to FOX 8’s report of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office investigation, deputies responded shortly after 7:30 p.m. Investigators said the man was walking along a dark stretch of Jackson Street when an eastbound pickup struck him. Emergency personnel transported him to a local hospital, where he died.
Coroner Dr. Christopher Tape determined that Bouterie died from blunt injuries and classified the manner of death as accidental, according to FOX 8’s November 5 report. An accidental manner-of-death determination is a medical classification, not a determination of civil fault. The sheriff’s office has not publicly established where Bouterie was walking in relation to the travel lane, the truck’s speed, or whether its driver had an opportunity to avoid the collision.
Why the Darkness on Jackson Street Matters
This was a nighttime pedestrian collision on a roadway deputies specifically described as dark. The central questions are where Bouterie was walking, when he first became visible to the approaching driver and whether the driver could reasonably have recognized and responded to his presence.
Those questions cannot be answered merely from the absence of light. Investigators need to examine actual lighting, roadway configuration, the truck’s headlights, driver sight distance and physical evidence.
Evidence That Should Be Preserved Now
The roadway’s nighttime conditions. Photographs and measurements under comparable lighting conditions may help establish visibility at about 7:30 p.m. Investigators should document streetlights, any available shoulder or walking area, nearby obstructions and the roadway alignment.
The Dodge Ram pickup. Its headlights, front-end and windshield damage, and any relevant physical traces should be preserved. Depending on the vehicle and its equipment, electronic data may help determine braking or other pre-impact activity. Its existence and contents should not be assumed.
Nearby video and witnesses. Residential cameras, business surveillance and passing vehicles may have captured Bouterie’s movements or the pickup’s approach. Recordings may be overwritten before an investigation concludes.
What This Means for a Potential Wrongful Death Claim
A fatal pedestrian collision does not automatically establish driver negligence. Nor does darkness alone establish that a public agency was legally responsible. Civil fault depends on the pedestrian’s position, the visibility actually available, the driver’s opportunity to respond and the circumstances established by reliable evidence.
Babcock Injury Lawyers handles wrongful death cases in the Slidell and St. Tammany area. In a comparable case, early work would focus on preserving the pickup, nighttime visibility evidence and video before those opportunities are lost. That evidence-first approach is part of The Babcock Benefit.
Bouterie’s family does not need to know who was legally responsible or whether a claim exists before seeking advice about preserving evidence. Call Babcock Injury Lawyers at (225) 500-5000 or contact the firm online.
Babcock Injury Lawyers does not claim to represent anyone involved in this crash. This article provides general information, not legal advice.