Lafitte man killed in single-vehicle wreck Sunday night

A motorist died Sunday night (Feb. 23) in Lafitte after he slammed into a guardrail and a utility pole, splitting his sport utility vehicle in half. Delin Joseph Ortego, 54, of Lafitte, was pronounced dead at the scene of the wreck, which occurred in the 4500 block of Jean Lafitte Boulevard, said Col. John Fortunato, spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.

Ortego lost control of his 2001 Ford Explorer when he failed to make a curve in the road while traveling at a high rate of speed around 10 p.m. The SUV crashed into the guardrail and pole, split in two and rolled onto the passenger side, Fortunato said.

Authorities had to extricate Ortego from the wreckage. He was not wearing a seatbelt. A witness told investigators Ortego had been drinking alcohol at a party before the crash, Fortunato said.