Mandeville, LA : Covington man dies in two-vehicle crash on Interstate 12 in St. Tammany Parish on Saturday night, December 5, 2015

A Covington man died Saturday night (Dec. 5) after the pickup he was driving was rear-ended on Interstate 12 northeast of Mandeville, causing the truck to run off the highway and overturn, State Police said. Sam Gebbia, 69, who was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the truck, died at the scene, Trooper First Class Dustin Dwight said in a news release.

Gebbia was driving west, east of the Louisiana 1088 exit, shortly after 11 p.m. when a car driven by John Joseph Gold, 54, of Sloan, N.Y., hit the rear of the truck, Dwight said. The impact caused Gebbia's truck to run off the right side of the highway, overturn and crash into several trees, he said.

The car ran off the left side of the road and hit the cable barrier in the median. Gold was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured, Dwight said.

Gebbia was pronounced dead on the scene by the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office.

Gold gave investigators a breath sample, which showed no trace amounts of alcohol, the release said. Troopers do not suspect impairment to have been a factor in the crash, but blood samples were obtained and will be sent to the State Police Crime Lab for analysis, it said.

Gold was issued a summons for careless driving. The crash remains under investigation and any additional charges will be referred to the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney's Office, Dwight said.

Source :

Covington man dies in two-vehicle crash on Interstate 12