Weekend Crash in Ruston Leaves One Person Dead
By: Staff
Updated: September 5, 2012
A weekend crash in Ruston claimed the life of a Grambling woman.
The crash happened Sunday night near the intersection of Hwy 80 and South Barnett Springs.
Upon arrival, officers found that the vehicles had hit head-on and one of the drivers appeared to be seriously injured.
According to officer reports, a 2000 Dodge truck, driven by Robert Skipper, 22 of Ruston, was travelling eastbound on Hwy 80 and had, according to witnesses, just passed a vehicle in a marked no-passing zone. The truck then braked hard and swerved into the westbound lane where it struck a 1999 Ford Escort head on.
The Ford was driven by Mesha L. Jones, 30 of Grambling. Jones and a 14 month old child were transported to the NLMC ER, where Jones was pronounced deceased. The child was treated and released to family members with minor injuries.
Skipper had a 19 year old passenger in his vehicle that was transported to the NLMC ER by the Ruston Ambulance Service who was treated for moderate injuries.
Skipper told officers at the scene that he had experienced mechanical issues with his truck that caused him to brake suddenly, and swerve across the center line and into Jones' vehicle. Skipper was issued two citations at the scene; Careless Operation and Passing in a Marked No Passing Zone.
The accident is still under investigation by Ruston Police Accident Investigators. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the accident.
The crash happened Sunday night near the intersection of Hwy 80 and South Barnett Springs.
Upon arrival, officers found that the vehicles had hit head-on and one of the drivers appeared to be seriously injured.
According to officer reports, a 2000 Dodge truck, driven by Robert Skipper, 22 of Ruston, was travelling eastbound on Hwy 80 and had, according to witnesses, just passed a vehicle in a marked no-passing zone. The truck then braked hard and swerved into the westbound lane where it struck a 1999 Ford Escort head on.
The Ford was driven by Mesha L. Jones, 30 of Grambling. Jones and a 14 month old child were transported to the NLMC ER, where Jones was pronounced deceased. The child was treated and released to family members with minor injuries.
Skipper had a 19 year old passenger in his vehicle that was transported to the NLMC ER by the Ruston Ambulance Service who was treated for moderate injuries.
Skipper told officers at the scene that he had experienced mechanical issues with his truck that caused him to brake suddenly, and swerve across the center line and into Jones' vehicle. Skipper was issued two citations at the scene; Careless Operation and Passing in a Marked No Passing Zone.
The accident is still under investigation by Ruston Police Accident Investigators. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the accident.
