78-Year-Old Trucker Found Dead Beside His Rig After Hours at Mississippi Rest Area

A 78-year-old truck driver was found dead beside his 18-wheeler near an Interstate 55 rest area in Mississippi on Thursday, September 3.

The driver was discovered near the northbound Wesson rest area in Copiah County. He was lying on the ground close to the passenger side of the truck when a passerby noticed him and called authorities for help.

By the time emergency personnel arrived, investigators believed the man had already been dead for several hours.

Copiah County Emergency Operations Center Director Darryl Hilliard said the truck was located just before the northbound rest area. Local reporting placed the scene just south of the facility, near mile marker 54.

The man was working as a driver for JC Transport and was operating an 18-wheeler at the time of his death. Authorities did not immediately release his name because relatives still needed to be fully notified.

There were no early signs that the driver had been involved in a crash or another violent incident. Hilliard told local media that the preliminary investigation indicated the 78-year-old died from natural causes. No further details about a possible medical condition were released.

The circumstances surrounding the hours before his death also remain unclear. Officials have not said whether the trucker had stopped at the rest area for a break, had recently arrived or was preparing to leave when he became ill.

The Wesson rest area sits along I-55, one of Mississippi’s main north-south interstate routes. The highway passes through Copiah County and connects communities including Wesson, Hazlehurst and Crystal Springs.

CDLLife reported that the driver was found on September 3 after the passerby spotted him beside the passenger door area of the rig. Authorities had not released additional information about his hometown or the events immediately before his death.