Coroner identifies employee who died after car crashed into Gulfport building

A Coast Radio Group employee died Friday when a car crashed through the front of the building and into her office, authorities said.

Police rushed around 1:40 p.m. to the office building on Lorraine Road and found a BMW sedan inside.

The employee, Elizabeth “Liz” Thornburg, died at the scene, Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said.

The coroner said Thornburg, 59, worked as an office administrator for Coast Radio Group, which broadcasts popular stations including Coast 102 and Kicker 108.

Authorities said three people were also hospitalized in stable condition, including the sedan’s driver and a woman in the car with him.

Gulfport Police Cmdr. Clayton Fulks said at the scene that the cause of the crash was unclear but that no one had been charged by Friday afternoon. Switzer said the crash did not appear intentional, and authorities were investigating whether the sedan’s driver may have had a medical emergency.

The car barreled off Seaway Road and hit Thornburg’s office near the front door, according to Switzer. Authorities said the car tore through three offices before stopping about 40 feet inside.

Other employees working Friday afternoon escaped safely, according to the coroner, and first responders quickly shut off power to the building.

On Friday afternoon, heavy law enforcement presence slowed traffic near the intersection of Lorraine and Seaway roads. But by 5 p.m., authorities removed police tape and a tow truck carried away the battered BMW.

The car left a hole in front of the building and took out a post, which staff replaced with a wooden beam. Several bricks on the Coast Radio Group sign were crumbling.

This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 2:21 PM.