Gulfport man accused in fatal hit-and-run crash released on bond

A Gulfport man accused in a fatal hit-and-run that sent an 18-wheeler plunging into the Pearl River, killing its driver, has been released from the St. Tammany Parish jail on a total bond of $80,000, according to Louisiana authorities.

Daniel Alex Coy, 25, had refused to waive extradition back to Louisiana to face charges there of negligent homicide, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and felony-hit-and-run when he was jailed in Harrison County last week. On Monday, he waived extradition and was taken to the St. Tammany Parish jail, according to LSP trooper Dustin Dwight.

On Tuesday, St. Tammany Parish Commissioner Dan Foil set Coy's total bond on all three charges. Coy pleaded not guilty and bonded out of jail the same day.

Coy is accused in the Oct. 10 crash involving two 18-wheeler that resulted in the death of Steven Shawn Clark, 26, of Theodore, Ala.

Coy had been in custody since his Oct. 12 arrest in Gulfport.

According to LSP Trooper Dustin Dwight, the crash occurred as Clark was headed west in left lane of Interstate 10 in a 2015 Freightliner big rig.

Another 18-wheeler, driven by Robert Torrez, 51, of San Antonio, Texas, was next to Clark's truck in the adjacent lane.

Witnesses and evidence at the scene led to authorities identifying Coy's dark blue Chevrolet Silverado as the vehicle that cause the crash.

The crash happened, authorities said, after Coy attempted to pass Torrez's 18-wheeler on the right shoulder. As Coy's pickup truck came up on a bridge railing, authorities said, he abruptly turned to the left to avoid concrete guardrails, resulting in his truck hitting the front and left driver's side of Torrez's 18-wheeler.

Upon impact, authorities said, Torrez's 18-wheeler veered in the left lane and hit Clark's 18-wheeler, pushing it through the bridge's concrete barrier and into Pearl River. Clark's remains were pulled from the wreckage in the Pearl River the day after the crash.

Authorities said Coy never stopped after the crash, and continued driving westbound on I-10 toward Slidell.

Clark's 18-wheeler, which was hauling 40,000 pounds of industrial paper products, was pulled from the Pearl River days after the crash.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Gulfport man accused in fatal hit-and-run crash released on bond ."