The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a tragic car accident that resulted in two fatalities and two critical injuries in Byhalia, Mississippi.
The fatal crash occurred on the evening of January 4 at approximately 8 p.m., when a GMC Acadia involved in a police pursuit by the Byhalia Police Department collided with a Ford F-150 at the intersection of St. Paul Road and Dockery Drive.
The collision claimed the lives of Michael Crutcher, 63, of Collierville, Tennessee, and Jaqua Blueitt, 30, of Byhalia, Mississippi. Crutcher was driving the Ford F-150, while Blueitt was behind the wheel of the GMC Acadia. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Witness Taderio Woods, who lives near the crash site, recalled the harrowing moments following the accident: “I heard a boom and ran outside to see what happened. The truck was on fire, and we immediately grabbed a water hose to try and extinguish it. We could hear people inside the vehicle while it burned.”
The crash has raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding the police pursuit. Michael Caradine, Crutcher’s cousin, expressed frustration over the decision to chase the vehicle on such a dangerous road. “This is a narrow, hilly side street. They were chasing someone at 100 miles an hour? That’s reckless,” Caradine said.
Two other individuals involved in the collision remain hospitalized in critical condition. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the cause of the crash and evaluate the events that led to the fatal accident.
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