According to Louisiana State Police, troopers from LSP Troop I were notified of a single-vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 182 near Nap Lane in St. Landry Parish at 10:30 p.m. on July 8, 2022. Krisalyn Thomas, 19, and Joseph Chevis, 56, both of Opelousas, were killed in the crash.
The initial investigation by State Police revealed that the crash occurred while the two were traveling east on LA 182 in a 1998 Dodge pickup. Chevis ran off the road after failing to negotiate a curve for unknown reasons. The pickup then collided with a tree and began to rotate before landing on its roof on the ground.
Both Chevis and his passenger, Krisalyn Thomas, were not wearing their seatbelts. Chevis was pronounced dead at the scene by the St. Landry Parish Coroner’s Office.
Thomas was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, but she died because of her injuries. Speed is thought to have been a factor in the crash. Standard toxicology samples were obtained for analysis, and the crash is still being investigated.
