St. Charles Parish President Larry Cochran in ICU after motorcycle crash

April 05--St. Charles Parish President Larry Cochran was in a hospital's intensive care unit after his daughter crashed a motorcycle on which he was a passenger Tuesday night, officials said late Wednesday.

Cochran was teaching his daughter, Madison, how to drive a motorcycle near their home in the 100 block of Oaklawn Ridge Drive in St. Rose about 7:40 p.m. when she lost control and left the roadway. Both were thrown from the vehicle as it came to a stop in the front yard of another home on the street.

Madison Cochran had only minor injuries while Larry Cochran was more severely hurt, the Sheriff's Office said.

The Sheriff's Office said it cited Madison Cochran for careless operation of a motor vehicle, not using a safety helmet, not having proof of insurance and not having a motorcycle license. Her father was cited for not having a helmet.

Cochran, 56, has been the parish president in St. Charles since November 2015, succeeding V.J. St. Pierre. Previously, he had been the Parish Council chairman.

His hospitalization follows a particularly turbulent period for him.

In February, he began participating in a substance-abuse treatment program in a bid to avoid prosecution on a charge of driving while intoxicated in Kenner last year.

Cochran had no detectable alcohol in his system after he was pulled over in early September, but he was charged with DWI because he tested positive for a combination of prescription painkillers.

That diversion program, offered to first-time offenders by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office, lasts six months.

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