On Feb. 20 at 8:05 a.m., Mississippi Highway Patrol officers, local firefighters and EMT’s responded to the site of a head-on collision at the intersection of Highway 43 South and Salem Chapel Road, Cpl. Benjamin Siebert of the Mississippi Highway Patrol said Monday.
An F150, driven by 51-year-old Martin Dupre of Picayune, was traveling southbound on Highway 43, Siebert said.
A Chevy Malibu, driven by 59-year-old Barbara Brown of Picayune was northbound on Highway 43, Siebert said.
Firefighters from Southeast Pearl River County and Picayune Fire Departments responded to the call, along with AAA Ambulance, Southeast Pearl River County Fire Chief Mark McCormick said.
“Right after the collision, the truck burst into flames and we had to put it out,” McCormick said. “The highway was closed for about an hour while the road was cleaned.”
Brown was trapped inside her vehicle, the fire chief said, but firefighters were able to extricate her with their battery operated jaws of life.
“Brown crossed the center line and had a head-on collision with the F150,” Siebert said. “Dupre, who was wearing his seatbelt, was transported to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg with moderate injuries.”
At the time of the accident, Brown was not wearing her seatbelt, Siebert said, and she suffered life-threatening injuries at the time. She was transported to Highland Community Hospital, where doctors stabilized her. After, she was transported to Forrest General Hospital, Siebert said.
Her injuries are now classified as severe, he said.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation, Siebert said.