Heart attack blamed for Thibodaux man’s death, not altercation

A Thibodaux man was found dead in his Ford Expedition in a ditch off La. 20 in Schriever Tuesday afternoon, after he had an altercation with a man who was employed as the driver of his 18-wheeler.

Dennis Hymel, 52, went looking for his driver, Patrick Spencer, 42, of Pleasant Hill, La., and his rig after Spenser did not show up for his job, according to a news release.

Hymel found Spenser on La. 20, and they began to quarrel.

The two continued the argument, ending up on the intersection of Vine Street and Patrick Drive in Schriever.

Hymel hit Spenser in the head with “an object, which left a gash,” and a witness saw Hymel draw a gun at some point during the argument, the release stated.

The two started throwing “chunks of asphalt” at one another, said Maj. Euia Uzee of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“I don’t know if anyone got hit,” he said.

Hymel entered his burgundy Expedition, and drove to La. 20, the release states, where he “parked on the shoulder of the highway.”

At that point, “a witness said that Hymel’s head went back to the headrest before the vehicle coasted across the highway and went into the canal,” or ditch, the release states.

“From witness accounts, Hymel parked on the side of the road,” Uzee said. “The car just eased into the ditch.

“It entered the canal at little rate of speed,” he said. “The only damage done to the vehicle was when officers broke the window to get him out.”

Hymel was pronounced dead at the scene by the Terrebonne Parish Coroner’s Office.

An autopsy done Tuesday evening by the coroner showed that Hymel died of “a massive heart attack,” Uzee said. The autopsy revealed “no trauma to Hymel’s body,” the release states.

“Hymel had recently been in the hospital,” Uzee said, but he couldn’t say why the Thibodaux had been hospitalized.

Also, Uzee couldn’t speculate about any relation between Hymel’s death and the altercation that occurred shortly before his death.

“Spenser didn’t run” when approached by deputies, Uzee said. “Uniformed people had (him) in custody when I arrived. He came up to the police.”

Spenser was released without charge, Uzee said.