NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A flatbed tow truck driver working to remove a disabled van from the shoulder of Interstate 10 was killed early Saturday (June 11) when another vehicle smashed into the van from behind, New Orleans police said.

The identity of the 50-year-old victim has not been disclosed, but police said he died at the scene of the 2:43 a.m. crash.

The male driver of a pickup truck that struck the disabled van sustained minor injuries. He has been arrested on one count of vehicular homicide. If charged and convicted of the offense, Jefferson would face 5 to 30 years in state prison under Louisiana law.

The fatal crash occurred on the shoulder of the eastbound side of I-10 near Ridgeway Boulevard, an area known as Irish Bayou. Police said the tow truck driver was working to load the unoccupied van when Jefferson’s pickup struck the rear of the van, causing it to crash into the tow truck. The pickup left the road after the collision, coming to rest in a grassy area alongside the interstate.