An 18-wheeler flipped on its side on Interstate-59 at the seven-mile marker Thursday morning, leading to a closure of the northbound lane.
Picayune Police Department Assistant Chief Jeremy Magri said the truck was traveling northbound in the left hand lane at about 7:15 a.m. and started to veer off the left side of the road. The 49-year-old driver, Gilbert Witte, tried to gain control but the truck rolled over onto its side, said Magri.
The truck then skid to a rest, blocking both lanes on Interstate-59 northbound Margi said. Witte was coming from Alex, Alabama.
A passenger, Tina Witte, 45, was in the vehicle at the time of the accident. Both were transported to Forrest General Hospital. The extent of their injuries is unknown at this time, Magri said. The truck had been righted and removed from the road and the trailers are on the left bank of the Interstate by noon that day, Magri said.
Magri said a company representative told him that the truck was hauling cookie dough. However, Item staff witnessed crews unloading frozen biscuits with the Popeye’s logo on the box.
The left lane was closed to traffic for the second 18-wheeler to safely load the contents onto its trailer, however the right-hand lane was open for traffic before noon, Magri said.
There was no hazardous material on the road from the overturned 18-wheeler, Magri said, and the road was cleared of debris.