The driver of a pickup truck died in a single-vehicle accident Saturday night, Jan. 4, according to SFC B.R. “Rusty” Boyd, public affairs officer for Troop M of the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

Boyd said troopers responded to the accident at 8:25 p.m. at mile marker 44 of Interstate 55.

A 2006 Chevrolet pickup, driven by Westly Rucker, 71, of 3633 Gammill St. Jackson, was southbound on I55 when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway into the median and collided with a tree, according to the patrol’s report.

Rucker was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision, officers said. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lincoln County coroner.

A defibrillator found in the vehicle indicates that Rucker had health issues that possibly could have contributed to the cause of the collision, according to Boyd’s report.

The collision is still under investigation by the MHP.