Driver dies as truck crashes into home, sparking fire north of Meridian
Published 4:10 pm Wednesday, May 23, 2018
SUQUALENA, Miss. (AP) — A dump truck driver is dead and a house is damaged following a Wednesday morning crash in eastern Mississippi.
Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler tells news outlets that 72-year-old Otho “Gerald” Matlock was found dead inside a Mack dump truck after it ran off the road and crashed into a home.
The home in Suqualena, a community north of Meridian, caught fire, but no one was home.
Cobler says Matlock may have died before the crash, possibly from a heart attack or other medical condition. He notes a lack of skid marks before the truck hit the house. An autopsy will provide more information about the cause of death.
Lauderdale County Fire Coordinator Allan Dover says the fire damaged about 40 percent of the wood-frame home, including a porch, attic, living room and bathroom.