 Brian Hawkins/SDN Oktibbeha County sheriff’s deputies, from left, James Lindsey, Shank Phelps and Jon Davis examine the wreckage of the 2001 Jeep Wrangler involved in an early Friday morning accident that claimed the life of an Aberdeen man and a Starkville woman. A second woman riding the jeep is in critical condition at a Tupelo hospital. The driver, who fled the scene on foot after the crash, was arrested and may face additional charges. By BRIAN HAWKINS
Starkville Daily News
A man and woman are dead, a second woman is in critical condition and another man is facing felony criminal charges following a one-vehicle crash on Oktoc Road early Friday morning.
Oktibbeha County sheriff's deputies were notified of the crash in a telephone call to E-911 operators about 5:30 p.m.
Upon arrival, they found Matthew Lann Gaskin, 23, of 1247 W. Commerce St., Aberdeen and Heather Kay McMillian, 26, of 4068 Nickel's Drive, Maben lying in front of the wreckage of a green 2001 Jeep Wrangler.
Jessica Burks, 27, of Long Meadow Subdivision, Starkville, was found pinned under the passenger side of the jeep, which was on its side.
Gaskin and Burks were pronounced dead at the crash scene by County Coroner Michael Hunt. Their family members had been notified, officials said.
McMillian was initially transported to Oktibbeha County Hospital, but was quickly airlifted to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo with "massive internal injuries," said Sheriff Dolph Bryan Friday afternoon.
As of late Friday afternoon, NMMC physicians were still working to determine the scope of McMillian's injuries, but told deputies that she was listed in critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit, Bryan said.
"Her condition has been up and down all day. They've been trying to keep her stable," said Bryan.
The driver of the jeep, Ryan T. Crick, 25, of 2144 Lake Shore Drive, Ridgeland, was the person who called E-911 operators to report the crash, but he had left the scene when deputies arrived, Bryan said.
Crick turned himself into deputies shortly before noon Friday and was arrested on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident with injuries or death, Bryan said. Deputies later learned that he had called a friend from Winston County to come pick him up following the crash, Bryan said.
Crick was released Friday afternoon on a $25,000 bond after deputies took him to OCH to have blood drawn for testing at the Mississippi Crime Laboratory in Jackson.
Deputies verified late Friday afternoon that Crick was a certified law enforcement officer employed as a game warden with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks in Madison County.
Blood tests are standard procedure in the investigation of a fatality crash and will help deputies determine whether alcohol or drugs were a factor, Bryan said.
"This investigation is just beginning, and more charges and arrests are expected," Bryan said. "Depending on what the test results reveal and what the investigation uncovers, the driver could face negligent homicide charges."
Deputies are continuing to investigate what transpired in the accident, though initial evidence shows that the jeep veered off of Oktoc Road and hit a driveway embankment, apparently flipping at least once before coming to rest on its side, deputies said.
The accident occurred in an area between the main entrance to Browning Creek Subdivision and Robinson Road, Bryan said. It is believed that the jeep was heading north on Oktoc Road at the time of the crash, he said.
Given the amount of damage to the jeep — which Crick had borrowed from a friend in Louisville — deputies have not yet been able to verify whether the accident victims were wearing seat belts, but believe it is not likely, Bryan said.
The force of the crash threw the victims through the jeep's fiberglass top, he said.
The jeep has been impounded to the Oktibbeha County Jail for further examination. Accident reconstruction investigators with the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol and Starkville Police Department are assisting deputies in the investigation, Bryan said.
Funeral arrangements for Gaskin and Burks will be announced as they become available. |
