An accident on the afternoon of May 11 left a Mississippi driver dead and a passenger uninjured. The fatality took place on I-10 at the 68-mile marker in Walton County. Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) investigator Cpl. R. Noiseux reported that a vehicle was traveling in the eastbound inside lane of I-10. The driver was Andy J. Cooley, 50, of McLain, MS., and the passenger was Christopher L. McInnis, 21, of Beaumont, MS. The FHP report states that the driver “suffered an unknown medical condition,” which caused him to swerve to the left, leaving the roadway and moving onto the paved shoulder, where the vehicle ultimately struck the inside metal guard rail. McInnis reportedly regained control of the vehicle and brought it to a safe rest on the grass shoulder.
Cooley was killed, while McInnis was uninjured. Both were wearing seatbelts. An investigation is pending into whether alcohol may have been a factor.