An incident on Highway 49 near the Helena Bridge delayed traffic for hours Monday morning, resulting in serious injuries and one fatality.
On December 2, 2024, just before 6 a.m., the Coahoma County Fire Department responded to a three-vehicle crash on Highway 49 near the Arkansas state boundary. First responders were notified that at least one person was trapped and had sustained serious injuries on the spot.
A Mississippi traffic camera indicated that lanes in both directions were blocked. Roads have since reopened.
Overnight, dense fog gathered in the Mississippi Delta and around the Helena-West Helena bridge.
Because temperatures are below freezing and fog is composed of water droplets, freezing fog may have resulted in patches of ice along the bridge.
Arkansas State Police officials said they are still gathering data about the collision, but they confirmed one fatality and indicated freezing fog played a role.
ASP officials stated that individuals injured in the crash were taken to a Memphis hospital.
Reference: ‘Severe injuries,’ one fatality reported in Highway 49 crash on Helena-West Helena bridge