HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss.- A fatal crash in Hancock County on interstate 10 yesterday involved three 18-wheeler trucks. The road was closed as of 4:30 Monday but is now open.
Eye witnesses told WLOX that a truck traveling on the interstate hit a truck in front of it and the trailer exploded. The truck was already on fire before anyone could get to it, leaving the driver stranded in the cab.
The driver was 44-year-old Lewis Peak of Valdosta, Georgia. He was carrying paper towels and after the truck caught fire it quickly spread to the trailer and burned for several hours delaying cleanup.
Another tanker truck was involved and carrying hazardous material. The truck suffered minor damage but special measures had to be taken to remove it from the scene.
MS Highway Patrol spokesman Benjamin Seibert said, “The trailers are damaged. So first of all we can’t tow the trailers. Also we had the debris and the contents from the 18-wheelers that were on the highway. We’ve got tractors and bobcats out there. We’re going to have to load up the debris and get specialized equipment to move the trailers out of the way.”
One other person was taken to the hospital and the wreck is still under investigation.
