Two Adults, Three Children Injured In Fiery Car Crash

JONES COUNTY, Miss. - This is a press release from the Jones County Volunteer Fire Department.

The potential for disaster was averted Monday evening when nearby witnesses pulled two adults and three children from a burning car. At around 5:30PM, units from Powers, Glade and M&M Volunteer Fire Departments responded to the scene of the accident on Reid Road in the Powers community. Initial reports stated that the occupants were trapped in the vehicle and that the vehicle was on fire.

However, the first fire units to arrive on scene advised that all occupants had been extricated by nearby witnesses and a Jones County Correctional Officer. Firefighters with Powers acted quickly and used a hose off of their Brush truck to extinguish the car fire. The car appeared to have struck a tree head-on before bursting into flames, and sustained extensive burn damage and collision damage to the engine compartment area.

All five occupants sustained what was believed to be moderate injuries, were treated and stabilized on scene by Emergency Medical Responders, and then transported in two EMServ ambulances to South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel for treatment. A portion of Reid Road was completely shutdown during rescue and cleanup operations.

Rescue 7 helicopter was initially requested to the scene as a precaution due to the severity of the situation, but a firefighter with Powers canceled the air ambulance after assessing the injuries of the individuals involved in the accident.

If it weren't for the bravery and quick actions of nearby witnesses, this situation could have been much worse. A huge amount of credit must be given to those individuals, although unnamed, for putting their own lives on the line to ensure the safety of the children and adults in Monday's crash.

The cause of the accident is unknown.