A Monroe County man is among four fatalities in the state over the three-day Fourth of July weekend.
John Stanley Fairchild, 43, of Hamilton, died shortly after 1 a.m. Monday when the black 1999 Chevrolet Tracker he was traveling in ran off Highway 373 just north of Columbus Air Force Base. Another man, Michael Wayne McCallum, 24, of Hamilton, was in the vehicle with Fairchild but was not injured. The accident remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant pronounced Fairchild dead at the scene from head and chest trauma. Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt.
Three additional fatalities occurred statewide from Friday to Sunday, but none were reported by Troop G out of Starkville, which patrols the Golden Triangle.
Troop G did, however, respond to 591 incidents over the weekend, including 12 DUIs and one public drunkenness arrest, but no felony arrests. Troop G wrote 25 seat belt citations and 10 child restraint citations.
The MHP responded to 90 collisions, three alcohol-related collisions and 36 injuries over the weekend.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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