A traffic accident has taken the life of a Leflore County man who apparently was walking on a dark stretch of U.S. 49 when he was struck by a pickup truck early Saturday morning.
Kelson Williams, 29, of 3512 Kerry St. died at the scene, which was just south of the U.S. 82-49 cloverleaf in Greenwood, according to Leflore County Coroner Debra Sanders.
Williams was heading for the home of a sister, according to his mother, Tracy Woods, also of the Kerry Street address. “It was foggy, and the driver didn’t see him,” Woods said Monday.
Sanders reported that the male driver of a S-10 Chevy pickup was heading south on the highway when the accident occurred at around 4:30 a.m. It was still dark at the time, and Williams, according to Sanders, was wearing dark clothing. “I guess the man didn’t see him,” she said. “The driver of the truck is the one who called 911.”
According to an unconfirmed report, the driver was not ticketed, and the Greenwood Police Department’s arrest docket does not list an arrest related to the incident. When contacted about the fatality, Police Chief Terrence Craft did not immediately have details at hand.
Woods said her son worked for Thompson Hospitality on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University. He attended Amanda Elzy High School and then earned a GED diploma. He attended Greater Harvest Worship Center. He was the father of two children, Toriana Robertson, 13, and Kyrice Smith, 3.
Family members described Williams as smart. “He loved life. He loved to read, and he loved his family,” Woods said.
Services are not yet scheduled. “We are in the process of making arrangements now,” she said. Meanwhile, the family is getting through the loss by “taking it every moment.”
- Contact Susan Montgomery at 581-7241 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
