Heavy fog played a part in a vehicular accident that claimed the life of a beloved J.Z. George High School student Thursday morning, according to authorities.
Dawson Mims, a 16-year-old junior, died in a three-vehicle accident that occurred on Mississippi 17 about 5 miles south of Carrollton, said Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker.
The accident occurred about 7:25 a.m. in extremely heavy fog.
Mims, driving a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe, was headed north, apparently toward school, when he collided with a southbound 18-wheeler, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The 18-wheeler was being driven by Fred Meece, 83, of Stewart.
The collision caused the Tahoe to also collide with a third vehicle, a 2012 Toyota Camry driven by Grace Ferguson, a 16-year-old junior at Carroll Academy.
There were no passengers in any of the three vehicles, according to the Highway Patrol.
Montgomery County Coroner Allan Pratt pronounced Mims dead at the scene. Meece was transported to an unspecified local hospital for injuries sustained in the crash. Ferguson was not injured, according to the Highway Patrol.
The accident remains under investigation.
Funeral services for Mims will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the J.Z. George gym, preceded by visitation starting at 11 a.m.
Mims, of Coila, played left guard for the football team. Jaguar head coach Rusty Smith said following Thursday’s accident, “Dawson was one of the hardest-working kids I ever coached. One of the most improved players. Everyone liked him. He showed up every day and worked. From eighth grade until yesterday, he had lost 100 pounds just from working. He is going to be missed in our locker room.”
Nathan Moncrief, the principal of J.Z. George, said, “Really all I can say is we love him and we’re going to miss him. Everybody liked him.”
A candlelight vigil was held Thursday night at the J.Z. George football field. The team is still scheduled to play at Leland Friday.
To the people who knew him, Mims was a great person to be around who had an intense work ethic but also could always make his teammates laugh.
“We were family on the field,” said fellow offensive lineman Terry Malone.
He said Mims was “a hard worker and a man who wanted to perfect himself in how he played football. He had integrity for himself, his fellow players and teachers.”
Mims could be “a little bit of a jokester ... but was serious when he needed to be,” Malone said.
“I respected him as a football player, and he always wanted to go for a good hit. He always wanted to prove that he was the best out there, and that’s why I liked him.”
In addition to playing on the football team, Mims held down a part-time job at Greenwood Market Place. His work ethic was inspiring, according to assistant football coach Ahmad Alexander.
“He was one of the first people I really got to know at J.Z. George,” said Alexander, who coaches wide receivers and defensive backs. “He was the type of person who could do anything if he put his mind to it. He probably had the biggest transformation of anybody.
“He came into the ninth grade weighing about 320 pounds and got down to 220 pounds. He was always asking me, ‘Coach, can I work out? Can I get some work in?’ He motivated me to work harder.”
Mims’ drive to excel was noticed not only on the football field but in the classroom.
“He was a straight-A student. Probably would’ve been the valedictorian of his class, and he brought that to the football field,” Alexander said. “He wanted to be the center of attention. He was goofy, and people gravitated to him. Everyone loved him.”
Malone said he will miss Mims but knows that the legacy he is leaving behind will inspire all who come through J.Z. George.
“He wanted to get better, and he loved talking to people,” Malone said. “Dawson was a good man through and through.
“I hate that he’s gone and we’re not able to see his full potential, but I hope that his story and how much he worked and how much he pushed himself can help the younger students of J.Z. George.”
- Contact Jared Conerly at 662-581-7237 or jconerly@gwcommonwealth.com.
