A Starkville man was killed Saturday morning after his vehicle collided with a tree while leaving the Artesia Day Festival.
Calvin Blair, 24, was identified as the driver by Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant in a text to media outlets Saturday afternoon.
Witnesses said Blair was leaving the festival at a high speed when his 2020 Ford F-150 left the road and struck a tree at the intersection of Front Street and Obama Lane, a press release from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office said.
Blair died at the scene of the crash, which happened just hours after the festival began. Authorities believe that alcohol and marijuana found at the scene may have contributed to the accident, the press release said.
The investigation into the accident is still ongoing, Merchant said.
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