Burch, rider, killed in crash

Jockey Lucy Burch was killed in an automobile accident Wednesday night in Shreveport, La., according to her agent, Scott Rushing. Burch, 28, had been competing at Louisiana Downs.

The accident happened around midnight. Burch was a passenger in an Oldsmobile Bravada with two males traveling northbound on North Market St., when the driver, Eric Nipper, lost control of the vehicle and it rolled over, according to Cindy Chadwick, public information officer for the sheriff's office in Caddo Parish. Burch was ejected, and the vehicle landed on top of her. She died at the scene, according to Chadwick.

Nipper and the other passenger, George Ragsdale, were taken to a local hospital. An investigation into the accident is ongoing, said Chadwick.

"It's just horrible," said Rushing. "She had so much in front of her to look forward to."

Burch is the second Louisiana-based rider to be killed in a car accident in the state since December. Jerri Nichols was killed on Interstate 10 in Lake Charles on Dec. 13. At the time, Nichols was riding at Delta Downs.

Burch, a native of Alabama, rode her first winner in Boise, Idaho, on May 27, 2001. According to Daily Racing Form statistics, she won 21 races from 388 career mounts for earnings of $247,425. Burch was scheduled to ride in the fourth race at Louisiana Downs on Thursday. She is survived by her father and a grandmother, for whom she had been caretaker, said Rushing.