Man hit by car on Interstate 10 was fleeing from scene of traffic stop, MHP and witness say

A man struck by a vehicle on Interstate 10 near Gulfport on Friday morning was fleeing the scene after being pulled over by law enforcement, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said.

A witness who was driving on I-10 east at the time of the incident also told the Sun Herald the man ran across multiple lanes of traffic and jumped over a barrier before being hit by a car.

Andrew Stacke said the incident occurred around 10 a.m. He said it appeared the man had been part of a traffic stop in the westbound lanes.

“He runs across the interstate, hops over the median ... then when he gets to the final lane of the interstate, he gets hit by a car and his feet go over his head,” Stracke said.

Stracke said he saw two cars and a semi-truck pulled over in the westbound lanes near the Canal Road exit.

“He looked scared,” Stracke said.

Earlier Friday, Mississippi Highway Patrol tweeted that an accident involving a pedestrian had occurred on Interstate 10 East near mile marker 29.

The incident required a helicopter to fly to the location for the individual hit by the car.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Stracke said.

This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 1:39 PM.