Two lives were lost in Lincoln County Thursday during a 17-hourstretch of continuous vehicle accidents caused by icy conditions onthe highways.

A young woman from Hazlehurst and an elderly man from Jacksonwere killed in separate accidents on Interstate 55, where slickbridges and patches of ice caused more than 40 accidents fromapproximately 8 a.m. Thursday until 1 a.m. Friday, said Staff Sgt.Rusty Boyd, public affairs officer with the Mississippi HighwayPatrol’s Brookhaven headquarters.

“The first driver crossed a bridge, struck a patch of ice, lostcontrol and ran off into the median. The second fatality was thesame situation,” he said.

The first fatality was Laurie Nicole Sanders, 23, of 112 WestSt. in Hazlehurst.

Boyd said she lost control of her 2001 Ford Sportrac afterslipping on an icy bridge on Interstate 55 South near mile marker45. The vehicle ran down a steep embankment into the median andstruck a tree. Lincoln County Coroner Clay McMorris pronounced herdead at the scene shortly after noon.

The mother of two young children was not wearing a seatbelt.

Konstadinos Dilioglou, 75, of 5120 Orchard View Boulevard,Jackson, was also unrestrained when the 2000 GMC Yukon he was apassenger in crashed in the median around 9:15 p.m. on Interstate55 north near mile marker 45, killing him.

Boyd said the big SUV went out of control after slipping on apatch of ice and rolled several times into the median. Dilioglouwas taken to King’s Daughters Medical Center and later pronounceddead.

The Yukon was driven by Smaroula Dilioglou, 35, of 201 SouthHeights Boulevard, Houston. She was taken to KDMC with minorinjuries, and another passenger – Sotiria Dilioglou, 68, also ofHouston – sustained moderate injuries. Both were wearing theirseatbelts.

MHP worked a total of 25 accidents in Lincoln County and 61district-wide, totals that do not include minor slips and spin-outsthat required no accident report. Boyd said 14 of the 25 accidentswere inside the city limits of Brookhaven.

One patrolman’s cruiser was totaled around 4:30 p.m. when an18-wheeler jackknifed and slammed into the vehicle just north ofExit 38. No one was injured in the crash.

Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said 911 dispatcheddeputies, troopers and police to 42 accidents on Thursday, with thesheriff’s department picking up 12 and assisting on numerousothers. Besides the two fatalities, 15 motorists were injuredthroughout the day.

All but one of the accidents – a rollover on Fern Lane -occurred on I-55 or Highway 84.

“It was pretty bad there for several hours. But as far as ourcounty roads go, the supervisors did a good job of getting out andsanding the bridges for us,” Rushing said.

No major accidents and no injuries were reported on citystreets, said Brookhaven Police Chief Pap Henderson. His biggestproblem was the Cliff Givens Memorial Bridge on Industrial ParkRoad, which was closed down Thursday night and remained closedFriday morning.

“We’re still having some hard-headed 18-wheelers trying to goover that bridge. Two had to have a wrecker to pull them off,” thechief said.

Henderson advised motorists to stay at home Friday unlessabsolutely necessary.

“Let’s try to ride this thing out today,” he said.