A Brookhaven man and a Smithdale boy remained in critical condition at a Jackson hospital this morning following a two-vehicle wreck that claimed the life of the boy’s sister on Monday.
Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Brandon Fortenberry said the accident occurred at 12:38 p.m. on a notoriously curvy and hilly stretch of Highway 98 in the Homochitto National Forest near Lake Okhissa in Franklin County.
Cheyenne Kinnaird, 16, of Smithdale, was pronounced dead at the scene by Franklin County Coroner Percy Peeler.
Her brother, Bryan “Cole” Kinnaird, 10, received life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He was listed as in critical condition this morning, hospital public affairs director Ruth Cummings said this morning.
Scotty Cater, 29, of Brookhaven, was taken to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, then transferred to UMC. He also was listed in critical condition this morning, Cummings said.
Fortenberry said the wreck occurred after Cater’s westbound 2007 Chevrolet Silverado attempted to pass another vehicle and struck head on the eastbound 2006 Nissan Altima driven by Cheyenne Kinnaird. Bryan Kinnaird was riding in the front passenger seat of the car when the collision occurred, Fortenberry said.
The wreck occurred near the Cotton Circle intersection.
Cheyenne Kinnaird was wearing a seatbelt, but troopers have been unable to determine if her brother and Cater were also strapped in when the accident occurred.
The area experienced thunderstorms Monday afternoon, but a motorist traveling behind Cater shortly before the accident said the rain had slowed off and didn’t seem to be a factor.
The witness, who asked not to be identified, said he was headed westbound on Highway 98 at the time of the crash, several vehicles behind Cater’s Silverado.
“He had about seven or eight vehicles backed up behind him. He was going about 35 in a 55. ... He then hit the accelerator and took off into a curve in the road. That’s when I lost sight of him and when the accident occurred,” the motorist said.
A family member’s post to social media this morning said Bryan Kinnaird had suffered several broken bones, including a broken hand, femur, ankle, elbow, a cracked collar bone and breast bone, and crushed pelvis.
“It’s been a long night of tears, prayers and some begging. ... Your prayers are what we need most right now,” Kinnaird’s aunt, Chonda, Ezell, posted on Facebook.
Cheyenne Kinnaird went to Franklin County High School in Meadville, where she was a junior, a school official said this morning.
Cater is engaged, according to his Facebook page.
The Highway Patrol is reconstructing the accident scene, Fortenberry said.
