Highway Accident sends Multiple Families to Hospital

Multiple families are affected after a traffic jam caused a log truck to turn over on the highway. Twin States News spoke with one of the family members who say his family is lucky to be alive.

After a log truck flipped over onto the highway in Meridian in front of Hardees; Paramedics, firefighters, and volunteers worked to remove the driver of the semi-truck. Justin Miller, a bystander, says he was in Harbor Freight when he heard the noise and rushed out to help.

“We found the man already stuck inside the truck. He was coherent. He was talking. I kept him talking. When firefighters showed up, he was speaking to them”, said Miller. “They ended up having to cut him out with the jaws of life. They finally got him out and he was coherent, still talking when they put him in the ambulance.”

There were at least four families involved in the accident. Tim Guillot was a passenger in one of the vehicles. Guillot said he had fallen asleep in the passenger seat moments before the accident.

“We came over the hill, and she (Gulliot’s Wife) was trying to stop. But she was tapping the brakes. And I asked her what she was doing, she said I don't think they're going able to stop. And she saw the vehicle behind us, and he stopped. But then she saw the log truck coming over the hill, coming behind us. She said he was not going to be able to stop. And the next thing you know, he hit us and knocked us up onto the median.”

As of now, there have been no fatalities reported in the accident. Many of the passengers were transported to the hospital for check-ups. Guillot said his family and himself are lucky to be alive.

“My oldest grandson was at the very back of my minivan along with my son and my youngest grandson. They shouldn't be here, we shouldn't alive. The logs came through the vehicle and on top of the vehicle. We were lucky. God was with us.”

Traffic is at a standstill while crews now work to remove the logs, semi-trucks, and other vehicles. Twin States News is told that it could be until 5:00 this evening before traffic is moving again.