Authorities said the crash during a Lao New Year celebration in Iberia Parish did not appear to be intentional, but several people suffered serious injuries.
NEW IBERIA, LA — An impaired driver plowed into a crowd at a Lao New Year parade in Iberia Parish on Saturday afternoon, injuring 15 people and sending several to hospitals as a major holiday gathering in Louisiana’s Laotian community turned into a mass-casualty scene.
The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. near Lanxang Village, where thousands gather each Easter weekend for a three-day celebration of the Lao New Year with parades, food, music and religious events. Louisiana State Police said the driver, 57-year-old Todd Landry of Jeanerette, was arrested at the scene and booked on impaired-driving and injuring charges. The immediate stakes were medical and criminal at once: victims were rushed away by ambulance and helicopter, organizers shut down much of the festival, and investigators moved quickly to determine whether the driver had acted on purpose. Officials said early evidence pointed to a crash, not a deliberate attack.
Witness videos and emergency radio traffic captured the first frantic minutes after the vehicle struck paradegoers along a route near Savannakhet Street and Melancon Road. People who had been watching the procession were suddenly running, screaming and dropping to the ground as first responders pushed through the crowd. A blue vehicle came to rest in a ditch after the impact. Firefighters and medics worked among food stands and spectators, and rescuers pulled at least one person from beneath the vehicle. Acadian Ambulance sent 10 ambulances and airlifted two patients for more urgent care, while others were loaded into ground units and taken to local hospitals. State police said Landry showed signs of impairment during the investigation and later gave a breath sample showing a blood alcohol concentration of 0.137%. He was arrested within hours. Officials have not said how fast the vehicle was moving when it entered the crowd or whether the driver tried to brake.
By Saturday night, authorities and emergency crews had begun to sort through the numbers, which shifted as victims were triaged, treated and counted across several agencies. The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office said 15 people were injured. Local ambulance officials reported that 13 patients were taken to hospitals, including two flown out by helicopter, and some early updates from responders said several victims were in critical condition. Louisiana State Police later announced charges that included driving while impaired, careless operation, open container and 18 counts of first-degree negligent injuring, a figure that suggests investigators were counting more injured people than the initial public tally. Officials have not yet explained the difference between the number of people publicly described as injured and the number of negligent injuring counts filed against Landry. They also have not released the ages of the victims, a full breakdown of injuries or a timeline showing the vehicle’s path before impact. Investigators were still seeking video, witness accounts and any other evidence that could clarify those points.
The crash struck a celebration with deep roots in south Louisiana. The Louisiana Lao New Year event is held each Easter weekend near Wat Thammarattanaram in Lanxang Village, a Laotian community in Iberia Parish that has grown over decades and draws visitors from across the region. Travel and tourism listings describe the festival as a three-day event built around cultural performances, traditional food, parades, family activities and Buddhist observances. For many families, it is both a public festival and a reunion tied to faith, memory and migration. The event has long served as a point of connection between the local Lao community and the wider Acadiana region. That history made Saturday’s crash especially jarring. Instead of an afternoon parade and evening entertainment, the area quickly filled with flashing lights, police tape and relatives trying to locate loved ones. Organizers canceled the remaining Saturday festivities, including concert programming and alcohol sales, as word spread through the crowd and across social media.
The legal case began almost immediately, though many questions remain before prosecutors decide whether to pursue additional counts. State police said Landry was booked into the Iberia Parish jail on one count of driving while impaired, 18 counts of first-degree negligent injuring, careless operation and open container. As of Sunday, officials had not announced a court date in public statements, and no information had been released about an attorney for Landry. First-degree negligent injuring in Louisiana generally involves criminal negligence resulting in serious bodily injury, and the number of counts often tracks the number of alleged victims identified by investigators. Authorities have not said whether more charges are possible as hospitals update patient conditions. Troopers said the investigation is continuing, and agencies were asking people with footage or direct knowledge of the crash to come forward. Festival organizers said Sunday religious services were still expected to go on, a sign that the community was trying to preserve part of the holiday while law enforcement and medical teams carried the heavier work of documenting what happened.
Public reaction on Sunday mixed grief, anger and relief that no deaths had been announced. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said he and the first lady were praying for the victims and thanked first responders for their work. Festival organizers said they were “profoundly saddened” by the crash and focused on those who were hurt. For residents of Lanxang Village and nearby towns, the scene was hard to absorb because the parade route is usually associated with dancers, floats, elders in traditional dress and families lining the roadside. Instead, by late afternoon, many people were standing in clusters, checking phones and waiting for news from hospitals. The short parade path had become a crime scene. Even so, community leaders moved carefully in public, avoiding broad claims before investigators finished basic fact-finding. That caution echoed the line state police repeated as the case drew wider attention: the evidence so far indicated an impaired-driving crash, not an intentional act, but the investigation was still active and many details had yet to be nailed down.
The case stood Sunday as a criminal investigation and a community trauma, with the next major milestones expected to be court proceedings for the driver and fuller medical updates on the injured. Religious events tied to the Lao New Year were expected to continue on Sunday as authorities pressed ahead with the investigation.
Author note: Last updated April 5, 2026.