A Columbus man drowned early this morning after his car ran off the road and into a water-filled gravel pit on Highway 45 in Monroe County.
Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell identified the man as Tony Moore, 38, a resident at Falcon Lair Apartments in Columbus.
An eyewitness reported Moore’s car was southbound on Highway 45 when it veered into the northbound lane and crashed into a pond on the east side of the roadway.
Monroe County Deputies and the Mississippi Highway Patrol received the call at 1:13 a.m. today.
Moore’s body was recovered after a four-hour search at approximately 5:15 a.m.
Cantrell warned drivers of the dangers of driving on that particular stretch of highway between Monroe County and Lowndes County.
“People need to be careful,” Cantrell said. “That’s a dangerous stretch of highway. If you run off the road, chances are you’re going to end up in water. People need to keep that in mind.”
With deer season fast approaching, Cantrell also asked drivers to be aware of their surroundings.
“If you swerve to miss something, you’re going to go into some water.”
The cause of today’s accident was not immediately known and an investigation by the Highway Patrol is continuing.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.