A Wesson man died Thursday morning after his car crashed into trees on the side of I-55 near Wesson, authorities said.

Howard Shawn McClendon, 42, was killed in the crash, which happened around 5 a.m. about a half mile north of the Lincoln County line in Copiah County, Cpl. Eric Henry with the Mississippi Highway Patrol said.

Henry said McLendon was driving a Chevrolet SUV north on I-55 when he lost control of his vehicle and ran off the road, slamming into trees.

McLendon was ejected from the car and killed immediately, Henry said.

The wreck remains under investigation.

Authorities told reporters they believe McLendon was on his way home from work.

McLendon’s car ran off the road and struck some trees, Henry said, and he was ejected. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Dee Hemphill, who was killed in a landslide at Green Brothers Gravel Pit in Crystal Springs in June, is McLendon’s stepfather, according to media reports.

His sister’s teenage daughter, Sonya Jackson, was injured in a wreck in Copiah County earlier this week, according to county officials.