UPDATE: The missing driver was located deceased and identified as 66-year-old Thomas Melchionne of Slidell.
SLIDELL, LA – Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on June 4, Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop L responded to an injury crash on I-10 eastbound on the Twin Span bridge near mile marker 259 in St Tammany Parish.
Officers say a driver that had exited their vehicle from a prior crash fell over the side rail of Interstate10 into Lake Pontchartrain as a result of the impact.
The initial investigation led Troopers to determine that, 47-year-old Louis Picolo was eastbound on I-10 in a Chevrolet Cruz when he rear end impacted a Dodge Pickup that was stopped due to a prior crash with a Mercedes Sedan.
All of the occupants of the Dodge and Mercedes were standing on the shoulder of the I-10 bridge at the time of the impact. The impact caused the driver of dodge, that was standing on the shoulder, to go over the bridge rail into the lake.
The identity of the missing driver is unconfirmed at this time. The St. Tammany Sherriff’s Office Marine Division as well as the U.S. Coast Guard are conducting a search of the area for the driver.
Impairment is unknown and Picolo was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. As part of the ongoing investigation, a blood sample was taken from Picolo that will be submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for scientific analysis.
The crash is still under investigation and any charges will be forwarded to the St Tammany District Attorney’s Office.
