AVOYELLES PARISH, La. (KLFY) — Louisiana State Police say an unbuckled Opelousas passenger was killed in a single-vehicle crash south of Simmesport.

Marie E. Bernard, 76, of Opelousas, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. She was the passenger in a 2005 Ford pickup driven by Robert A. Dupre, 53, of Opelousas.

Troopers say Dupre was driving northbound on La. 105 at around 4 p.m. Friday (Dec. 13) when he lost control and left the right side of the roadway. He overcorrected, sending his vehicle over the left side of the road and into a culvert. The truck was overturned.

Bernard was not buckled up. Dupre and another passenger, who were buckled up, received minor injuries.

Dupre is being charged with careless operation. Routine toxicology tests are pending, and the crash remains under investigation.

Louisiana State Police said they like to take this opportunity to remind/inform motorists that properly wearing your seat belt will dramatically reduce your chance of being injured or killed in a crash. They ask you to take one second to “buckle up!” Louisiana law requires that every person in a vehicle, regardless of seating position, always remain buckled up. Not wearing a seat belt remains the leading cause of death in motor vehicle crashes.