A New Orleans woman who was days away from giving birth to her second child was killed in a car crash police believe stemmed from a road rage.
Jade Lewis, 22, and another unidentified driver crashed into separate utility poles around 12:30 p.m. in Kenner, about 15 miles northwest of New Orleans.
Lewis' vehicle swerved off the road before striking a pole, Kenner police said in a press release. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and it was also not possible to save her unborn child, police said.
The other vehicle hit a second utility pole, breaking it in half. That driver was transported to a hospital with injuries. Authorities said road rage is being considered as a contributing factor.
Lt. Michael Cunningham told NOLA.com that the unidentified woman driving the second car tried to change lanes and almost hit Lewis' vehicle. Lewis then sped up, and the other driver also sped up, eventually trying again to change lanes, this time clipping the front of Lewis' vehicle.
The impact caused both drivers to lose control.
Dorothy Lewis, Jade Lewis' mother, told NBC affiliate WDSU in New Orleans that her daughter was excited about welcoming a second child. She said Jade worked in pharmacy tech but had plans to pursue a career in the beauty industry after she had her second child.
Her due date was Feb. 5, and she was expecting a boy she planned to name Mydas, family members said. She also had a 2-year-old son named Mars.
"She loved her baby. She loved the baby she was carrying. She couldn't wait. I know things happen to good people, but I’m just like, 'I thought God and I were tighter than that,'" Dorothy Lewis said.
Her boyfriend and the children's father, Marcus Villavasso, said he is devastated by her death.
"I feel like my soul was ripped out of my body," he told WDSU.
Kenner police said the crash is under investigation, and that criminal charges are possible against the other driver.