Family of pregnant mom killed in Kenner crash asks drivers to take road rage pledge (2024)

Jade Lewis smiles down on motorists from a billboard on eastbound Interstate 10 near Williams Boulevard. There is her glowing visage, and a stark warning: “STOP ROAD RAGE, IT KILLS.”

Lewis’ family had the message posted on two billboards in Kenner after the nine-months-pregnant 22-year-old died Jan. 30, 2020, in an alleged road rage-fueled crash that also claimed the life of her unborn son, Mydas.

To mark the first anniversary of their loss, relatives formed J.A.M., for Jade and Mydas, to spread awareness about the dangers of aggressive driving. They want drivers to pledge to avoid road rage and prevent any future tragedies such as the one they’ve suffered.

“We don’t want Jade’s death to be in vain,” said her mother, Dorothy Lewis, 52.

On the day of the crash, Jade Lewis and Shannon Alvarez, 46, were both driving eastbound on West Esplanade Avenue, police said. The women engaged in a back-and-forth showdown as they drove, each speeding up to keep in front of the other, Lt. Michael Cunningham has said.

Investigators allege Alvarez’s 2008 Toyota 4Runner was traveling at about 75 mph when she changed lanes and clipped the front of Lewis’ 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. Lewis’ car slammed into a utility pole in the 2900 block of West Esplanade. She and Mydas did not survive.

Alvarez’s SUV fishtailed and crashed into another pole about a half block away, police said. She was treated at a hospital for her injuries.

Investigators arrested Alvarez on Feb. 21 and booked her with vehicular homicide and third-degree feticide, after toxicology tests showed she had drugs in her system, including the sleep medication Soma, Cunningham said.

As of Friday, prosecutors had not formally charged Alvarez in the case. They were still reviewing the case, the Jefferson Parish district attorney’s office said. Alvarez’s attorney, Joseph Larre, would not comment when reached by telephone Wednesday.

“It’s been a roller coaster, up and down,” Dorothy Lewis said of the year since her daughter’s death.

Lewis said there were moments of anger so consuming that they affected her own life: her blood pressure, her heart. There were moments of sadness and overpowering grief. But she said it was Jade Lewis’ surviving son, Mars, 3, who kept her going.

“His smile. His words seem like they’re coming straight from Jade,” she said.

Lewis is still working on forgiveness. And the family’s push to reduce road rage has been a helpful goal.

There isn’t much reliable data about the roles that aggressive driving and road rage play in vehicle crashes and fatalities. Road rage is not defined by Louisiana law and isn’t tracked bystatisticians in the state.

“The current unified crash report in Louisiana does not have the fields to collect aggressive driving information. Therefore, there’s no way to collect data or do any analysis on aggressive driving,” said Cory Hutchinson, director of the Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safetyat Louisiana State University.

The state plans on addressing that with a new version of the law enforcement crash report that will include a field for investigators to note whether aggressive driving was a factor in a wreck. But the new reports won’t become available until next year, Hutchinson said.

Most road rage incidents go unreported, Cunningham and other authorities said. The behavior can range from honking angrily to more dangerous tactics such as aggressively tailgating or hitting the brakes to send a message to a trailing vehicle.

The encounters sometimes escalate. Occasionally, they are deadly.

Former NFL player Joe McKnight and retired New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith were shot and killed during separate road-rage incidents in Jefferson and Orleans parishes, police said.

“It’s senseless,” Lewis said of the violence.

The Lewis family's J.A.M. pledge asks motorists not to engage in reckless and dangerous driving, and to keep their cool behind the wheel.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety have a few tips for avoiding aggressive drivers:

• Don’t offend -Avoid behavior that sets off other motorists such as cutting off vehicles without signaling, driving too slowly in the left lane, tailgating and making obscene gestures.
• Don’t engage -You never know when a driver may snap and become dangerous. Avoid eye contact. Never pull over to the side of the road for confrontations. Create some distance. Call police if you suspect an angry driver is following you.
• Adjust your attitude -Don’t make driving a contest. Give yourself enough time to arrive without speeding. Consider whether the other driver is stressed. Sometimes a simple “I’m sorry” wave to the other driver deflates the situation. Seek help with anger management and stress reduction techniques if you feel you are a hotheaded driver.

“Calm down. Slow down,” Cunningham said. “By engaging them, you’re not going to de-escalate the situation. The best thing would be to let them go.”