Fatality: Michael Valera and William Rodman die in fatal Jackson County car crash

Michael Valera and William Rodman die in fatal Jackson County car crash

Fatal Jackson County car crash death of Michael Valera and William Rodman – Obituary

Authorities have confirmed that Michael Valera, 32, and William Rodman, 34, lost their lives following a devastating collision Wednesday morning along Interstate 10 in Jackson County.

According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the crash happened at approximately 9:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes near the 50-mile marker close to Ocean Springs. Emergency crews rushed to the scene after receiving reports of a serious wreck involving a prisoner transport vehicle and a utility van.

Investigators said the transport vehicle, operated by the St. Joseph Detention Center in Daytona Beach, was heading west when it collided with a 2005 Ford E-350 work van traveling in the same direction. After impact, the prisoner transport vehicle veered off the highway, flipped over, and became engulfed in flames.

Valera was driving the transport van at the time, while Rodman was one of the inmates inside. Both men died as a result of the crash.

Two others who were riding in the transport van, including another staff member and an inmate, suffered severe injuries and were flown to a hospital outside Mississippi for urgent medical care. The driver of the utility van, a resident of Gautier, was also seriously hurt and transported by ambulance to a nearby medical facility.

Numerous first responders, including members of the highway patrol’s commercial transportation enforcement unit, assisted at the scene. Officials say the investigation into what caused the deadly crash remains ongoing.