One man died Saturday night as a result of two vehicle accidentsthat happened within minutes of one another in the same location onInterstate 55, Mississippi Highway Patrol officials said.

William Iftiger, 65, of Kingman, Ariz., was pronounced dead atthe scene by the deputy coroner, said MHP Sgt. Rusty Boyd.

Iftiger’s wreck was a result of an accident involving anorthbound 1995 Pontiac Bonneville driven by Percy Brown, 31, ofSummit, that rear-ended a 1996 Jeep Cherokee, driven by RickyPotts, 42, of Brookhaven.

The Jeep flipped over and came to rest in the median. ThePontiac stopped in the right northbound lane.

As Iftiger’s 18-wheeler approached, it moved into the right laneto avoid a car in the left with its flashers on, Boyd said.

After it passed the car, it moved back into the right lane andstruck the parked Pontiac. Iftiger side-swipped the car, veered tothe left and crashed through a guard rail on the bridge over asmall creek.

Boyd said the truck fell to the ground while the trailer hungfrom the bridge.

Boyd said the bridge and part of the interstate were shut downfor six hours, and traffic was re-routed over to Highway 51, up toHighway 84 and back to I-55.

The accidents happened just north of the I-55 exit for BogueChitto around 11:39 p.m.

The accidents are still under investigation, and no charges havebeen filed, Boyd said.