Student driver survives interstate pileup without a scratch, acing final test

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) – A student driver taking her final roadway test was among the survivors of Monday’s pileup crash on Interstate 55 in Louisiana.

The massive crash due to dense fog involved 168 vehicles, leaving eight people dead and 63 injured.

Shockingly, the student driver made it out unharmed and without a scratch on the car.

Driving instructor Gisela Chevalier said she got into her J&G International Driving School vehicle Monday morning to test a student on the I-10 to I-55 route she’s used for years.

“I’m not afraid of fog. So, I told my student, ‘Don’t be afraid of fog,’” Chevalier said. “We have to drive on foggy days, on rainy days, so that’s OK.”

But on this foggy day, visibility dropped to near zero on I-55 near Manchac.

Chevalier’s student driver was behind the wheel. In front of their car was a flatbed trailer. Behind them was a double 18-wheeler.

Not soon after, the pileups began, 911 calls were made, and dispatchers sent everyone they could to help victims.

Chevalier said the cars around hers were smashed beyond recognition.

She and her student spent hours trapped on the bridge. They saw a fire truck driving in reverse to reach victims. They saw first responders getting out and walking where the road was impassable.

When it came time to give her student a final grade, Chevalier had no hesitation.

“She was really calm, too,” Chevalier said. “She’s a master. She made 100 (for her grade), no doubt about it. She earned it.”

Chevalier said she is very proud of her student, who “did what we taught her to do.”

“We are here because she handled it really good. Really brave,” Chevalier said.

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