Sunday, March 1, 2015

1 DEAD IN PROPANE TRUCK ACCIDENT IN LAMAR COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI









FEBRUARY 28, 2015

LAMAR COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI

A section of Old Highway 11 in southeast Lamar County will remain closed following a single-vehicle accident Saturday that killed the driver of a propane delivery truck.

Sheriff Danny Rigel said three residences between Baker and Deavers roads had been evacuated because the truck was leaking propane.

David Black III, 32, of Purvis was pronounced dead at the scene, Rigel said.
Rigel said the accident happened just before noon Saturday. The truck flipped after leaving the road, and landed in a way that blocked access to valves and nozzles that would have allowed the transfer of the gas to a second truck.

"They can't offload the product, so they're going to do a burn to dispose of it, which they say is kind of a standard procedure in the industry in a situation like this," Rigel said. "It's the safest way to do it."

Old Highway 11 was blocked off at Baker Road and Deavers Road and will remain so until officials are able to safely remove the truck.

"They don't know how much of the product is left, so it could take three hours or it could take a day," Rigel said. "It's just going to depend."

Ryan Pigott, operations officer for the Lamar County Emergency Management Agency, said the tanker could hold up to 3,500 gallons of propane.

Joining the Lamar County Emergency Management Agency and sheriff's office personnel at the scene were Rock Hill Volunteer Fire Department firefighters and gas company officials.

Rigel said the Red Cross of Southeast Mississippi had worked with the evacuated residents to provide food and shelter.