A woman with Marion County ties was among five people who died on the state’s roadways during the extended Thanksgiving holiday, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Judy A. Pounds of Moss Point, formerly of Foxworth, died Sunday in a single-vehicle crash in Stone County. According to the MHP, the crash occurred on Mississippi 26 around 2:15 p.m. when Pounds’ 2002 Chevrolet was traveling westbound and left the roadway, rolling several times. Pounds was thrown from the vehicle. She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. Arrangements were pending at the Colonial Funeral Home in Columbia as of deadline Tuesday.
Capt. Johnny Poulos of the Mississippi Highway Patrol’s Public Affairs Division said the extended weekend was a busy one for troopers across the state. The enforcement period began last Wednesday at 6 p.m. and ended Sunday at Midnight.
Locally, for MHP Troop J, whose enforcement area includes Marion County, troopers issued a total of 693 citations and responded to 19 crashes that had three injuries.
The first fatality of the enforcement period occurred on Friday at around 4:20 a.m. on U.S. 61 in Wilkinson County. Dondi D. Dixon, 31, of Woodville was reported to have been walking in the northbound lane and was struck by a vehicle traveling northbound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Later Friday around 5:10 p.m., a 2003 Ford passenger van driven by Doris Greer, 47, of Greenwood, was traveling westbound on U.S. 82 in Leflore County, left the roadway and entered the median, rolling several times. A passenger, Dennis Miller, 53, of Greenwood, died from injuries suffered in the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Saturday night on Mississippi 5 in Benton County, Tavieon D. Johnson, 20, of Michigan City died when he crossed over into the other lane and hit a Ford Mustang.
The other fatal crash to occur on a Mississippi highway occurred Sunday at around 12:50 p.m. in Lincoln County. A 2004 Ford pickup truck, driven by James E. Hutson, 91, of Bogue Chitto, was traveling southbound on I-55. The left rear tire failed, and the truck left the road and flipped several times. Hutson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Poulos said all of the crashes remain under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. In addition to the five fatal wrecks, there were a total of 163 accidents statewide that resulted in 55 injuries.
