Names of accident victims released

Published 8:30 pm Thursday, November 2, 2006

The names of the victims involved in the deadly accident that occurred Monday afternoon have been released.

One confirmed death occurred during that accident which took place at about 2:37, according to Mississippi Highway Patrol reports.

The deceased was identified as Judy Tastet, 50, of 3199 Jackson Landing Rd., Apt. C-18. Tastet was a passenger in the 1988 Ford Aerostar that was forced off the road and wrapped around a tree during the accident, the report states.

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The small van was driven by Ulysses Peters, 62, also of 3199 Jackson Landing Rd., Apt C-18. Peters was not wearing a seat belt and suffered a broken right femur, multiple fractures to his pelvis and a dislocated elbow during the accident.

Another passenger of the van was identified as Lisa Tastet, 17, no address listed, suffered major head and spinal injuries, the report states.

All passengers of the van were ejected from the vehicle during the accident and taken to Forrest General Hospital, according to the report.

The driver of the freight truck was identified as James Andrew Step, 40, of 1794 Tulane, Hernando, Miss. Step suffered a fracture to his upper left leg during the accident, the report states.

According to the report the large freight truck collided with the rear of the van, both in the northbound right hand lane of I-59, then both vehicles went off the right hand side of the road and into the trees. The van wrapped around a tree and lay facing northbound while the truck went into the woods and caught fire and jackknifed.