A transport officer and a prisoner died Wednesday morning and three other people were seriously injured when a private prisoner transport van crashed on Interstate 10 in Jackson County, WLOX reported.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol said the crash happened about 9:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes near the Ocean Springs exit, Exit 50, at Mississippi Highway 609. The van struck a pole, overturned and collided with a utility truck, the patrol said.
There were four people inside the transport van and one person in the utility truck, the patrol said. Two people in the van — an officer and a prisoner — died; the other two occupants were critically injured. The utility truck driver was taken to a local hospital in stable condition, and WLOX reported a medical helicopter transported one of the most critically injured victims.
WLOX reported the van caught fire after the crash. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrived first and extinguished the blaze, and Jackson County Fire crews cut into the van to rescue those inside, the station said. The transport van was operated by St. Joseph Services, a private prisoner transport company.
WLOX reported the trip began Tuesday night with prisoners picked up in Florida and planned stops including Ocean City, New Jersey, and Spaulding, Georgia. Multiple agencies responded and conducted a crash reconstruction; authorities had not released a cause as of Wednesday. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
