A Kenner, La. man is dead after an 18-wheeler collided with thestolen van in which he was a passenger Thursday morning onInterstate 55 near Martinsville, authorities said.

Copiah County Coroner Phil Howard said Daryhl Brumfield, 32, waspronounced dead on the scene after the impact of the 18-wheelerrear-ending the van caused it to hit the guardrail and flip. Theaccident occurred around 10:30 a.m. near the Martinsville exit onI-55 north.

“The truck driver said that when he topped the hill at theMartinsville exit, the van was slow and (the truck) couldn’t getover,” said Sgt. James Walker of Mississippi Highway Patrol TroopC. “He thought they might be having mechanical problems they weregoing so slow, and there was nothing he could do to. He couldn’tget over or anything, and he struck the back of the van, and itflipped.”

The driver of the 18-wheeler, who was not identifed, was nothurt. However, the cab of the truck was knocked down the embankmenta bit, said Howard.

“The van was still up on the shoulder of the road, but the18-wheeler went off over the rail,” said Howard. “It was partiallydown the embankment.”

Highway Patrol officials said the van’s driver, Joseph Durrow,40, was taken to University Medical Center with severe head trauma,but hospital officials today had no information regarding his beingat the facility. Mississippi Highway Patrol officials say he willbe charged with auto theft.

Officials do not yet know if there will be charges inBrumfield’s death.

“He was sent to the hospital with massive head injuries andbroken ribs, and he’s in intensive care,” said Walker. “We won’tknow until we talk to him.”