Bicyclist killed Saturday night
A man accused of drunk driving ran over and killed a bicyclist and injured another on Perkins Road Saturday night, a police spokesman said.
Baton Rouge police booked Joseph Branch, 28, 17525 Chadsford Ave., into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count each of vehicular homicide and second-offense DWI in the bicyclist’s death, Cpl. L’Jean McKneely said Sunday.
Nathaniel Crowson and a friend were bicycling east in the 6100 block of Perkins Road near Quail Run Drive about 8:45 p.m., McKneely said in a news release.
Branch, behind the wheel of a 2010 Kia Forte, slammed into them from behind and ran them over, McKneely said.
Crowson, 30, 3079 S. Eugene St., died at the scene. The other bicyclist, Daniel Morris, 31, no address given, was still in a hospital Sunday with non-life threatening injuries to his lower body, McKneely said.
Police also booked Branch on counts of first-degree vehicular negligent injury and reckless operation of a vehicle, McKneely said. The incident is still under investigation.
Branch was booked for his first DWI on Aug. 3, 2006, Parish Prison booking records show.
Nathaniel Crowson, who went by Nathan, was born in Dallas and moved with his family to Haughton in 1986, his brother, Matthew Crowson, 33, said. The family moved to Baton Rouge in 1992.
Nathan Crowson had been a bicycle commuter in Baton Rouge for many years and worked for Mid City Bikes on Government Street, his older brother said.
Nathan Crowson was a great brother and a devoted father to his 5-year-old daughter, Katherine, Matthew Crowson said
“The world is now missing a beautiful piece of the puzzle where Nathan once was,” Matthew Crowson said in a prepared statement. “I will miss him very much.”
Nathan Crowson worked at WAFB-TV for three years in news production, said Robb Hays, the station’s news director.
Crowson worked mostly with cameras and graphics.
He left WAFB in September to work at Mid City Bikes, Hays said.
“He was really an ideal employee,” Hays said. “He was an extremely hard worker. He was really nice.”