Motorcycle deputy dies in crash

A Terrebonne Parish sheriff’s deputy was killed in the line of duty Sunday morning while escorting floats for the Krewe of Titans to their staging grounds at Southland Mall. Capt. Timothy J. Bergeron’s motorcycle collided with a Lincoln Continental near the intersection of La. Highway 311 and Krumbhaar Drive shortly after 7 a.m., according to State Police Troop C Public Information Officer Brian Zeringue.

Neighbors and coworkers remember Bergeron as an exceptional officer, an even better friend and devoted father of five. He served with the sheriff’s office for 25 years, under four different sheriffs and was promoted to the rank of captain in May of last year.

“He was not just one of my boys, he was a friend of mine for 25 years. It’s sad to see somebody like that die in a tragic accident,” said Terrebonne Parish Sheriff L. Vernon Bourgeois. “He liked Mardi Gras. He always begged to make sure he could ride the motorcycle for Mardi Gras time.”

Bergeron was pulling around a group of floats heading north on La. 311 to direct traffic at the time of the accident. However, the driver of a float waved on Shelly Ordoyne, 36, of Raceland, who was turning left off of Krumbhaar Drive onto La. 311, authorities said.

Bergeron had his patrol lights on, although he was not using his siren, said Zeringue.

Ordoyne attempted to make an evasive maneuver onto the shoulder and Bergeron laid down his motorcycle.

Zeringue said despite both of their efforts, Bergeron’s bike slammed into Ordoyne’s SUV where the driver’s side fender and door meet.

Both were transported to Terrebonne General Medical Center, where Bergeron was pronounced dead and Ordoyne was treated for minor injuries and released.

Zeringue said the exact cause of death was not being released as of press time, and although drugs and alcohol were not suspected to have played a role in the crash, both drivers received toxicology tests as required by state law.

“There were no charges involved in the crash, but the investigation is still ongoing,” said Zeringue.

“Waving someone on, we don’t recommend that. It’s still the driver who’s pulling out’s responsibility to check for other cars. In this case, in a civil litigation, that could play a role.”

Bergeron was also known for his role in the parish’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, better known as D.A.R.E.

“Together we built [the D.A.R.E. program] to what it is today,” said Bourgeois. “You end up teaching thousands and thousands of students, and you become really close to many of them.”

Bergeron’s neighbor Jeanne Punch saw the impact of Bergeron’s efforts with D.A.R.E. as a local school bus driver.

“Those kids on that bus from high school, they were beside themselves. Those kids just absolutely loved him and they adored him,” Punch said. “He just had the biggest heart for those kids.”

Neighbors remembered Bergeron as a kind person and a father who doted on his children.

“He would help anybody out any time,” said a neighbor who wished to remain unnamed.

“We really didn’t have any problems in the neighborhood because he lived up the street. Everybody knew that if anything happened, all we had to do was go to him,” said Punch. “He was a good person. Everybody in the neighborhood knew him, and they all liked him.”

A memorial wake was held on Tuesday night at Chauvin Funeral Home in Houma, and Bergeron’s funeral services, scheduled for 11 a.m. today had to be moved to the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center to accommodate the influx of police officers expected from around the state. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m.

Bergeron is survived by his wife, Kate Williams Bergeron; parents, Floyd Sidney Bergeron and Josephine Trosclair Bergeron; sons, Stephen and wife Jessica, Jonathan and Clark Bergeron; daughters, Kaleigh, Jo Dee and Kristen Bergeron; grandson, Collin Nathaneal Bergeron; sister, Judy Faye and husband Carrol Anderson; brothers, Micheal and wife Norma Bergeron, twin brother Thomas and wife Debbie Bergeron and Jesse and wife Wendy Bergeron.

He is also survived by his nieces, nephews and his many brothers and sisters on the police force.

“He was a really good officer, always did good work, always worked hard,” said Bourgeois. “It could be very difficult [to replace him]. He had skills a lot of people in this office don’t have.”

Capt. Timothy Bergeron – Killed while escorting float to parade site