Three people were killed over the weekend in freak accidents, according to Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant.
A husband and wife were killed Sunday afternoon after a tree fell on them, Merchant said.
Gene Russel Lang, 43, and Donna Dove Lang, 44, were traveling west on Highway 50 in a 2013 Toyota Tacoma when a tree fell on the vehicle, Merchant said. The pickup traveled a few feet down the road before leaving the roadway and striking some trees.
Gene Lang was killed on impact and Donna Lang died a short time later, Merchant said. Both were pronounced dead on the scene.
Merchant said there was no bad weather in the area and no clear reason why the tree fell.
There is an ongoing investigation into the crash, said Mississippi Highway Patrol Sgt. Derrick Beckom.
In an unrelated accident Saturday morning, a Columbus man was killed when his tractor rolled over on him, Merchant said.
Tim Andrews, 64, was moving dirt at his home in western Lowndes County off of Bluff Drive when his Massey Ferguson 135 tractor rolled over, trapping him underneath it, Merchant said.
District 5 volunteer firefighters and Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office deputies got him out from under the tractor, but he succumbed to his injuries, Merchant said.
Andrews was pronounced dead on the scene, Merchant said. The death has been ruled accidental and no autopsy is scheduled.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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