Man driving home from Florida hurricane cleanup dies in fiery MS Coast 18-wheeler wreck
A Baton Rouge-area man driving home on Interstate 10 after helping with Hurricane Ian cleanup in Florida died late Tuesday night in a fiery crash near the Long Beach exit, Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer confirmed to the Sun Herald.
Frank Culler, 58, was driving westbound in a Freightliner with a flatbed carrying two track vehicles when he struck another 18-wheeler parked on the side of the interstate near mile marker 28 around 11 p.m., Switzer said.
Culler’s 18-wheeler pushed off into the ravine and struck several trees before coming to a stop. The other 18-wheeler was also pushed off the interstate.
The rig Culler was driving caught fire after the crash after a fuel tank ruptured, Switzer said.
Culler was from Saint Amant, Louisiana, just south of Baton Rouge in Ascension Parish. He had transported the track vehicles over to help clean up sand and debris left behind by Hurricane Ian, Switzer said, and was headed toward his employer’s office in Covington.
Culler died at the scene from blunt force trauma, Switzer said. The driver of the other 18-wheeler sustained non-life threatening injuries.
I-10 westbound from mile marker 28 to the Menge Avenue exit in Pass Christian was closed from about 11:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. as the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality cleaned up the gas spill, Switzer said.
Harrison County Fire Rescue, Gulfport Fire Department and the U.S. Air Force Combat Readiness Training Center also responded to the scene.
Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating.
This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 11:38 AM.
