GUNTOWN, Miss. (WCBI) -- A man is dead after his small Ford car suffers a blowout and collides with a bridge column on Highway 45 at Highway 348 in Guntown at about 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Twenty-two-year-old Amilio Merritt of Verona was northbound on Highway 45 when he apparently lost control and hit the cement column.

Coroner Carolyn Green says he was ejected from the vehicle and died while on the way to the hospital. He was not wearing a seat belt.

A passenger was treated and released from North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.

Green says the passenger told police the car suffered a blowout, causing Merritt to lose control.