David Hilton, 22 and a 2009 Erath High graduate, died. Hilton was not restrained. A passenger in his vehicle, 27-year-old Grant Vercher of Erath, was also unrestrained and was transported to a hospital with moderate injuries.
A witness said Hilton’s Ford truck was heading east on La. 14 around 4:30 p.m. when the driver of the truck noticed a spool of wire in the middle of the east bound lane on La. 14. Swerving to avoid the spool of wire, the driver went t off the right shoulder of the road, not far from Earl’s Furniture Store.
The truck ran over a mail box, then continued towards the furniture store. The side of the truck hit one of the large oak trees by Earl’s, causing the truck to overturn. The upside-down truck skidded into the west corner of Earl’s Furniture Store, knocking down a front pole and causing damage to the building with people still inside the building. No one was hurt in the store.
A person in Earl’s Furniture said it sounded like an explosion when the truck hit the building.
Traffic east and west on La. 14 had to be rerouted in front of Earl’s Furniture for a couple hours.
It is unknown if alcohol was a factor in this crash; however, toxicology samples were obtained and will be submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for analysis. This crash remains under investigation, according to State Police.
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