COPIAH COUNTY, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
All lanes of Interstate 55 northbound, just south of the Gallman exit, have reopened following a fatal wreck early this morning.
Emergency crews are investigating Copiah County's 3rd fatal accident during this holiday season. The accident happened on I-55 North, near mile marker 63.
A line of trucks couldn't do anything but wait for hours after two 18-wheelers collided into a fiery and fatal catastrophe around 3:30 Wednesday morning.
Mississippi Highway Patrolman Corporal Odis Easterling said Hazlehurst resident Mario Robinson and the driver of another 18-wheeler were both headed northbound on I-55. Robinson rear-ended the truck in front of him.
"At that point the truck became engulfed and the driver was trapped," Easterling said.
Robinson was killed. An initial investigation indicates poor weather conditions may have played a role in the wreck.
"The fog was pretty heavy this morning that's (from the) initial investigation that could be something that changes later, but now we think the fog did play a part in it," Easterling said.
Authorities re-routed northbound traffic down Highway 51, South onto Pat Harrison Drive and back onto the highway.
"We're all working together, the fire department all the local municipalities we work closely with each other because we're the only ones to back each other up," said Copiah County Sheriff Harold Jones.
Sheriff Jones said he knows Robinson's family. Hazlehurst Police Department Chief Byron Swilley is Robinson's cousin.
"Mario was a very good person, hardworking person for his family a good guy in the community," Swilley said.
The driver of the other 18-wheeler involved in the wreck survived. There was also another vehicle that ran into chicken parts from Robinson's truck, but no one in that vehicle was injured.
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