Cyclist killed late Sunday on Gardere Lane
BR woman knocked off bike, killed
A Baton Rouge woman was killed late Sunday after she was knocked off her bicycle by one vehicle and hit by another on Gardere Lane near Nicholson Drive, a State Police spokesman said.
Barbara Jacob, 56, was riding her bicycle about 11 p.m. in the southbound lane of Gardere when a 1999 Mazda struck her rear tire, throwing her from her bicycle and into the northbound lane of the road, Trooper Stephen Hammons said.
A short time later, Jacob was hit by a 2006 Lexus sport utility vehicle that was traveling north on Gardere, Hammons said. The driver of the SUV, Rebecca Guidry, 22, of Lafayette, stopped and called authorities, he said.
Jacob, who was not wearing a helmet or reflective gear, was pronounced dead at the scene, Hammons said. Guidry was not injured.
The driver of the Mazda, Darby Griffin, 49, of Baton Rouge, fled the scene after allegedly hitting the back tire of Jacob’s bicycle, Hammons said. With help from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, troopers found Griffin and his vehicle soon after the crash.
Griffin, who wasn’t injured in the incident, was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count each of first-offense DWI, hit and run, obstruction of justice, driving under suspension and no seat belt. Additional counts are pending the outcome of the investigation.
An affidavit of probable cause says Griffin “removed all items” from his vehicle. Hammons declined to comment on what the items were or where they were found, citing his agency’s ongoing investigation into the incident.
Hammons also declined to say where authorities located Griffin and how they determined he was impaired at the time of the crash.
Blood samples from Griffin as well as Guidry and Jacob were submitted to the State Police Crime Lab for analysis, he said.
Hammons said he did not know why Griffin’s license had been suspended. East Baton Rouge Parish court records show Griffin was cited with three traffic-related misdemeanors in 2010 and another two in 2009.
The records also show he was convicted of a first-offense DWI in 2002 and was given a year of bench probation with conditions.
According to Louisiana law, Griffin’s recent DWI arrest cannot be counted as a second-offense because it occurred more than 10 years after his first DWI conviction.
Sunday’s incident was the third this year in which a bicyclist was killed.
The first happened Jan. 20 when Nathaniel Crowson, 30, was killed while riding his bicycle at night along Perkins Road.
Police arrested Joseph Branch, 28, 17525 Chadsford Ave., and booked him into Parish Prison on counts of vehicular homicide and second-offense DWI.
The second bicycle fatality this year happened Sept. 3. Jason Michael Stablier, 27, was struck and killed by an SUV on Perkins while riding home.
The driver of the SUV has not been arrested or cited in the incident.