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LAFAYETTE, La. — A Natchez woman died in a crash at about 4 a.m. Wednesday in a one-car crash on Interstate 10 in Lafayette Parish. A toddler in the car with her suffered moderate injuries.

Medora Lynn Burgess, 40, was driving a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV westbound on I-10 when her vehicle ran off the roadway to the right. The SUV entered a tree line and struck a tree in an area difficult to see from the roadway, according to a press release issued by the Louisiana State Police.

Burgess was not wearing a seat belt and suffered fatal injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lafayette Parish Coroner’s Office.

A toddler in the SUV was also not restrained. He was transported to a nearby hospital with moderate injuries.

Louisiana State Police said impairment is suspected and a standard toxicology sample was obtained for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.

Louisiana state law requires vehicle occupants to be properly restrained in all seating positions, day or night. Child safety seats and booster seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash. Caregivers are required by law to ensure children are properly restrained in an appropriate child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt based on the child’s age, weight, and height.

Troop I has investigated 26 fatal crashes resulting in 33 deaths in 2021.