BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – A woman accused of hitting and killing an LSU student and her fiancé as they walked along Nicholson Drive was given a $229,000 bond with house arrest during a court appearance Monday, Oct. 19.
Mia Dawson, 20, faces multiple charges, including vehicular homicide and impaired driving, in connection with the crash that killed Leah Victoria Fonte, 21, and her fiancé, 21-year-old Shane David Hirstius.
Dawson’s next bond review is scheduled for December 16.
According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, Dawson was driving a 2016 Nissan Rogue southbound around 2:40 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, when she left the road in the 5000 block of Nicholson Drive and struck the couple as they were walking along the right shoulder.
Fonte died instantly. Hirstius was taken to hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Police said officers located Dawson shortly after the crash in the 1900 block of Nicholson Drive.
She was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on the following charges:
- Driving homicide
- Impaired operation
- Hit and run driving
- Careless operation of a vehicle
- Injuries caused by vehicle negligence
RELATED: Couple killed by suspected drunk driver near LSU together since high school, families say
LSU student, fiancé killed after being struck by vehicle on Nicholson Drive; driver stopped
Victims remembered as LSU student and firefighter
Fonte was a senior at LSU studying biological sciences in a pre-dental track, according to the Third District Volunteer Fire Department.
Hirstius served as an operator and firefighter with the department, which remembers him as a dedicated first responder.
Firefighters said the couple was celebrating a friend’s birthday before the crash.
Authorities call for improved pedestrian safety
The deaths have sparked renewed calls for improvements along Nicholson Drive, where pedestrian safety has been a long-standing concern.
Mayor-President Sid Edwards said a project already underway includes a new 10-foot-wide shared-use pathway along the east side of Nicholson Drive between Brightside Drive and Gourrier Avenue, additional lighting and improved crosswalks at Gourrier Avenue and Bob Pettit Boulevard.
Edwards said the city Department of Transportation and Drainage plans to meet with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to discuss additional safety measures that could be implemented before construction is completed.
Governor Jeff Landry also called for action following the deaths.
“I am tired of seeing students and others killed while walking along Nicholson Drive at night,” Landry said in a statement.
Landry said he will work with state transportation officials, Baton Rouge leaders and LSU to explore ways to protect pedestrians.
“Enough is enough,” Landry said.
The accident remains under investigation.
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