UPDATE: The driver of the car has been identified as 50-year-old Carlos A. Perza of Port Arthur, Texas. The crash remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A person is dead after a car crashed into a bridge and fell into the Tallahatchie River on Saturday, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said.
According to the Panola County Sheriff’s Office, a white GMC pickup or SUV was traveling north along Interstate 55 and struck a guard rail on a bridge and fell into the Tallahatchie River near the North Batesville exit.
Rescue efforts were suspended Saturday night and resumed Sunday morning at 9 a.m.
The vehicle was not visible initially, but it was found Sunday morning after water levels were lowered. The U.S. Corp of Engineers shut flow gates at Sardis Lake to assist in the search.
Authorities recovered a 2004 GMC pickup between the bridges and found the driver deceased inside the vehicle.
As a result of the search, Interstate 55 was blocked for an undetermined amount of time. Southbound traffic in the area near mile marker 252 was diverted to the Sardis exit to US-51 highway.
This crash is currently under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The driver’s identity has not been released to the public.
