JACKSON COUNTY – A prisoner and a transport officer were killed and three other people were seriously injured Wednesday morning when a private prisoner transport van crashed on Interstate 10 in Jackson County, according to WLOX.
WLOX reported the crash happened around 9:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-10 near the Ocean Springs Exit 50 ramp to Mississippi Highway 609. The van struck a pole, overturned and collided with a utility truck.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol said there were four people inside the transport van and one person in the utility truck. Two people in the van, an officer and a prisoner, died, and the other two occupants in the van were critically injured, WLOX reported.
The utility truck driver was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
WLOX reported a medical helicopter was called to transport one of the most critically injured victims. After the crash, the van caught fire, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrived first and put out the fire, according to the station. Jackson County Fire then cut into the van to rescue those inside.
The transport van was operated by St. Joseph Services, a private prisoner transport company, WLOX reported. The station said the trip began Tuesday night and involved prisoners picked up in Florida, with planned destinations including Ocean City, New Jersey, and Spaulding, Georgia. The van was also in Mississippi to pick up an inmate from the Harrison County Adult Detention Center when it crashed, according to the report.
Multiple agencies responded and a crash reconstruction was conducted. The cause of the crash had not been released as of Wednesday, WLOX reported.
