Local police departments respond to unrelated accidents
Published 7:00 am Thursday, August 25, 2016
Local police departments worked two vehicle accidents recently, one involving a fatality.
A fatal accident involving a log truck occurred on Aug. 18 in Poplarville.
At 3 p.m., that day the Poplarville Police Department was dispatched to Highway 26 East near Circle D Tire Store, Poplarville Police Chief Butch Raby said.
The log truck was heading east, turning left into the business’ parking lot when it was struck in the rear by a 1999 Toyota Tacoma, Raby said.
The impact caused several logs to fall off the truck and enter the windshield of the Tacoma, Raby said.
Poplarville firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene and extricated the driver and passenger from the vehicle, Raby said.
The driver of the Tacoma, Donald Jenkins, 70, of Covington, La., was transported to Forrest General Hospital where he was released the following day, Raby said.
The passenger, Jady D. Spell, 66, of Covington, La., was transported to Pearl River County Hospital and Nursing Home where he was later pronounced.
The driver of the log truck was not injured.
In a separate incident, a minor skateboarding on Fifth Avenue Monday was struck by a vehicle at 10:18 p.m.
The Picayune Police Department responded to the 1100 block of Fifth Avenue, behind St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune Police Department Assistant Chief Jeremy Magri said.
The victim’s mother said he suffered a broken arm, leg and back as well as bruised lungs.
He was flown to Forrest General Hospital and then transferred to Jackson Children’s Hospital where the family contemplated surgery, the mother said.
The driver of the 2003 Chevy Trailblazer, identified as Kevin Wilkerson, 19, of Picayune, told responding officers at the time of the accident, he saw someone sitting in the road and attempted to avoid them by stopping, Magri said.
The area where the accident occurred is dark at night, Magri said.
Due to the extent of the injuries, the driver’s blood was drawn for testing but no charges were pressed at this time, Magri said.