MARSHALL COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI — Two young children are dead and their father is fighting for his life after a crash on westbound Interstate 22 Friday evening that left a community devastated and accounts of what caused it still in conflict. One thing is not in dispute: a family was torn apart in an instant on a Mississippi interstate.
The Marshall County Coroner confirmed the deaths of two children — one age 5 and one younger. Their names have not been officially released. Their father, identified in community comments as Brandon, was airlifted to Memphis in critical condition. A fourth person was transported by ambulance. The children’s mother survived.
The crash occurred between the Victoria and Red Banks exits around 5 to 5:30 p.m. A witness said she saw a semi-truck flip while traveling westbound before it crossed to the opposite side of the highway and struck a family vehicle. Photos from the scene showed the overturned tractor-trailer with skid marks crossing the median and lumber scattered across the road. Both directions of I-22 were blocked. Bystanders rushed to help before first responders arrived.
A community member whose husband was at the scene said he pulled Brandon from the car and has been shaken ever since. “My husband is the one pulled Brandon out the car. Been talking to him and he has been crying since it happened,” she wrote.
Conflicting Accounts of the Cause
Initial reports suggested the semi crossed the median and struck the family vehicle. However, multiple people with direct knowledge of the situation said something different. Several community members said a tire blowout on the family’s car caused them to lose control — that they had already changed to a spare and were trying to make it to the next exit when the crash occurred. One person wrote that both vehicles were traveling westbound at speed when the accident happened in a split second, and that many more vehicles could have been involved had other drivers not been attentive.
The truck driver was not physically injured. Community members noted the emotional weight he will carry regardless. “He will never be okay again,” one person wrote. “Prayers for everyone.”
The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating. The cause has not been officially confirmed.
The family’s names are being withheld pending official notification, but a family member reached out asking for prayers. “Fly high and watch over your momma and your daddy, baby girls. They need you,” she wrote.
Community accounts courtesy of family and eyewitnesses.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
