One dead after fiery car accident in Jones county

JONES COUNTY, Miss. - This is a press release from the Jones county Fire Rescue department.

A car accident in Jones county left one female driver dead and three injured Monday night.

At around 8:40PM Monday, multiple units from several volunteer fire departments responded to the scene of a two vehicle accident at Highway 84E and Masonite Lake Road.

Upon arrival, firefighters and Emergency Medical Responders with Powers and M&M Volunteer Fire Departments found a hectic scene with a white car severely damaged on one side of the median and a gray car on the other side of the median with flames shooting several feet high from the engine compartment.

While bystanders and firefighters were working to bring the flames under control, Emergency Medical Responders worked quickly to remove the adult female driver from the white car; a firefighter on scene reported that the female driver of the white car was trapped, which required firefighters to use hydraulic rescue tools to open the vehicle so that they could remove the victim from the car. The female driver of the white car was initially unresponsive but breathing, according to reports.

Initially she was being transported to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, but EMServ medics made the decision to transport her directly to South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel because her condition was quickly deteriorating. As a result of her injuries, she passed away last night.

According to reports, the gray car was traveling East on the highway when the white car crossed in front of its path from Masonite Lake Road, giving the driver of the gray car little time to react before slamming into the driver's side of the white car, sending both vehicles into the median.

The occupants of the gray car - an adult male, an adult female, and a child - were transported by EMServ to South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel for treatment of minor to moderate injuries.

Emergency personnel on scene included Powers and M&M Volunteer Fire Departments, EMServ, Jones County Sheriff's Department, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Northeast Jones District Chief John Bounds, Emergency Medical Responder Coordinator Lee Garrick, Jones County District Attorney's Office, and Jones County Fire Coordinator Dan McKenna.

Fire apparatus on scene included Powers Command 1, Powers Engine, Powers Rescue 2, Powers Rescue 3, Powers Heavy Rescue, M&M Rescue 1, M&M Rescue 2, and M&M Engine 1. Several firefighters and Emergency Medical Responders also arrived in their personal vehicles.