Officials ID woman killed after 18-wheeler crashes car into Pascagoula River

A woman’s body was pulled from the Pascagoula River after two separate crashes on the Interstate 10 bridge Sunday morning, officials say.

Mississippi Highway Patrol identified her Sunday night as Ladonna C. Rich, 55, of Lucedale.

Around 7:18 a.m., two crashes happened at the 64 mile marker — which is on the Pascagoula River bridge — in the eastbound lanes, said MHP spokesman Chase Elkins.

It appears a 27-year-old man from Miami Springs, Florida, was driving a white 2010 Freightliner, an 18-wheeler, east on I-10 in the left lane when he rear ended a blue 2012 Nissan Sentra driven by Rich, Elkins said.

After the initial impact, the Nissan was forced off the bridge into the water.

The driver and passenger of the Freightliner were not injured.

The other crash involved two cars and no injuries, Elkins said.

Gautier police and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office had dive teams conducting search and rescue.

The crashes caused traffic to back up in the eastbound lanes.

No charges are pending in the crashes, Elkins said, and they are still under investigation.

This story was originally published July 29, 2018 at 10:32 AM.