Central’s Road Crisis: Daniel Couvillion Killed on GS Road

Outstanding Young Businessman Dies After Accident on Greenwell Springs

by Woody Jenkins

CENTRAL — A tragic one-car accident on Greenwell Springs Road has claimed the life of well-respected Central businessman 26-year-old Daniel Couvillion.

His is another in a long list of fatalities that can be traced to Central’s narrow roads, which are known for their lack of shoulders, steep dropoffs, deep ditches, and nearby trees.

Couvillion died on Saturday evening, March 31 after his pickup truck veered a few inches off the road.  Daniel was on his way home to his wife Sarah and daughter Olivia after visiting with his mother and father, Kellye and Jeff Couvillion.

The ambulance arrived at the scene of the accident at 10:15 p.m., just minutes after a neighbor who had heard the wreck called 911.

Few young men in Central had more promise than Daniel Couvillion, who had already established himself as a leading member of the business community.  With his parents, sisters Hope Johnson and Claire Couvillion, and brother-in-law Michael Johnson, Daniel developed numerous local commercial and residential projects, including Central Square, Gates of Burlington, and Burlington Lakes, just in the past year.

More than 1,000 mourners visited the Couvillion family at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church or at Greenoaks Cemetery.

His sister Hope described Daniel as a typical boy, a Boy Scout who loved the outdoors.  He followed his father Jeff everywhere.

Even as a child, Daniel loved to wear a hard hat, and growing up in his parents’ business in construction and development was as natural as could be, Hope said.  “He definitely knew what he wanted to do in life,” she said.

The family, including cousins, loved to go to the Gulf coast and spend weekends at their camp at Cocodrie.  From Thursday night to Monday morning, they would live together and enjoy the Louisiana coast with activities such as spear fishing and scuba diving.  “You will not find a closer family nor one with better memories of our time together,” Hope said.

Daniel has been described by friends and family as easy-going, a peacemaker, a steady hand.

“As a brother, he was very protective of us,” Hope said.  She laughed and said, “He always made friends with our dates!”

Daniel and his brother-in-law Michael Johnson were like brothers and worked closely together in the family business.

Daniel was very close to his mother and father.

He married his high school sweetheart Sarah.  They graduated from Central High together in 2004.  “She was perfect for him,” Hope said.  Both Daniel and Sarah graduated from LSU in 2008.  He finished in construction industry management, and she graduated in early childhood education.  She taught 1st grade at Bellingrath Hills Elementary but has stayed home since the birth of their daughter Olivia, who is 19 months.

Hope said, “From the moment he found out he was going to be a father, he got himself prepared both physically and mentally. When I found out Daniel was going to be a father, I politely laughed because Daniel was really just a 20-something-year-old kid himself. But he quickly proved himself to be the most caring, loving father you could imagine. He constantly worried about that little girl as she began to crawl, then walk, then run. Being a father was natural to him. My sister, Claire, once asked the question ‘What’s the hardest adjustment to becoming a parent?’ He so quickly and simply replied that it was actually the easiest thing he had ever done.”

At the wake, the Couvillion family was reminded of how many people loved Daniel and the family.  They heard many recount fond memories of their relationship with Daniel.

Hope said that it was amazing how many people said they had lost loved ones on the roads of Central, several in the same spot where Daniel was killed.  “You could write a book on the tragedies that have occurred here,” Hope said.

“We don’t know why it had to be him.  Daniel was very laid back and never drove fast,” she said.

How can the family cope with such a tragedy?  “This is very hard for us.  It will be very rough.  We have to rely on our core beliefs.  We believe very strongly, and our family is a strong unit.  I don’t know when we will see Daniel again, but we will!”

Daniel is survived by his wife Sarah, his daughter Olivia, his mother and father, Kellye and Jeff Couvillion; two sisters, Claire Couvillion and Hope Johnson and husband Michael; his mother-in-law and father-in-law Jeanette and Dean Carrier; maternal grandparents retired Judge Eugene and Merrelle McGehee; paternal grandparents Warren and Hannah Couvillion, and numerous other family members.

Mass of Christian burial was at St. Alphonsus with burial at Greenoaks.  Please visit www.greenoaksfunerals.com to leave condolences for the family.