Surveillance Video Shows Just How Close Johnston Street Crash Came to Being Far Worse

LAFAYETTE, LA – A weekend crash on Johnston Street that sent a car flying through four lanes of traffic and into a Lafayette tattoo shop injured a total of four people, police confirmed in an update. Authorities now say the crash was caused by a medical emergency, an important detail that was not available during the initial investigation.

The crash, which happened near Whittington Drive on one of Lafayette’s busiest thoroughfares, left Be True Tattoo severely damaged and several people injured, including a beloved shop employee and a pedestrian on an electric scooter.

New Surveillance Video Captures Harrowing Moments

Perhaps most shocking is newly uncovered surveillance footage obtained by Christina Mondragon with our media partners at KATC TV-3. The video shows the car blowing through a stop sign on Whittington Drive and entering Johnston Street at full speed, hitting a person on an electric scooter before barreling through traffic.

The vehicle miraculously threads through all four lanes of Johnston without hitting another car. In the footage, a white truck can be seen slamming on its brakes as several other cars barely miss the path of the speeding vehicle, some passing by less than a second after it crosses.

A Terrifying Scene on a Busy Saturday

Given how busy Johnston Street is, especially on weekends, it’s a miracle the outcome wasn’t even worse. Traffic was diverted for over an hour Saturday afternoon while police and emergency crews responded to the crash.

Police now say that the medical emergency explains why the driver failed to stop at the sign and continued without braking.

Tattoo Shop Rebuilding, Victims Recovering

Be True Tattoo has temporarily relocated services to its sister shop, Instant Classic Tattoo, as they assess damage and rebuild.

The shop is also planning fundraisers to help cover medical bills for staff member Chase, who was injured when the car crashed into the building.

While this has been a devastating incident for the business and those injured, many who have seen the clips are calling it a blessing that things didn’t turn out even worse.

Get our free mobile app

We’ll continue to update this story as those impacted recover and as Be True Tattoo works to get back on its feet.