Sixth crash victim dies

• By DAVID J. MITCHELL
• Advocate River parishes bureau
• Published: Dec 1, 2009 - Page: 1B

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A deadly crash on Interstate 10 Saturday near Prairieville involving an overloaded van claimed a sixth life Monday as family and friends from Harvey to Plaquemine were touched by the tragedy.

Physicians at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge pronounced Ariel Hines, 12, dead shortly after noon, Louisiana State Police reported.

Hines is the fifth child who died from injuries in the crash on I-10 east of La. 928 as a family group of 15 returned from a Thanksgiving visit to the New Orleans area, troopers and family said.

The Ascension Parish Coroner’s Office pronounced La’Chante Floyd, 12, of Plaquemine; Ricky Hines Jr., 2; Edward Barnes, 14; and Ashley Hines, 14; and driver, Mona Hines, 38, of Baton Rouge, dead at the scene.

The other adult passenger, Stacey Hines, 28, of Harvey, who is Mona Hines’ sister, is in fair condition at Our Lady of the Lake, Trooper Russell Graham II, State Police Troop A spokesman, said Monday.

Four children remain in critical condition while three are in good condition at Our Lady of the Lake, Kelly Zimmerman, a hospital spokeswoman, said.

Another child was taken to Baton Rouge General Medical Center, troopers said.

None of the 13 children was restrained in the van, which had a tire blowout before flipping from the westbound lanes of I-10 to the eastbound lanes, State Police said. The children were fully ejected from the van.

Mona Hines and Stacey Hines were wearing their seatbelts, troopers said.

Those killed or injured in the crash are brothers, sisters, first cousins, nieces or nephews and are the children or the grandchildren from a family of 15 siblings raised in Harvey, said family member Clement Hines, 70.

“Oh, yeah. That’s a hurting thing, man. It hurts bad,” said Clement Hines, a retired sandblaster and welder who lives in Harvey.

The children, at least seven of whom were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and lived for a time with Mona Hines in Texas, had left the New Orleans area Saturday morning for Baton Rouge, Clement Hines said.

Mona Hines and Stacey Hines, who are Clement Hines’ daughters, were bringing some of the children to Baton Rouge to help Mona Hines move, Clement Hines said. Others were going home, he said.