A Tupelo High School Athlete Recovers From A Car That Leaves His Mother Dead

KILMICHAEL, Miss. (WCBI) – A Tupelo High School basketball player is in the hospital recovering from a crash that left his mother dead.

Tupelo High School Basketball Coach Jeff Norwood tells WCBI 17-year old Tahj Crump and his mother Erica Walls were returning from a visit to Millsaps College when the crash happened.

Montgomery County Coroner Allan Pratt says it happened east of Kilmichael in the eastbound lane around 9:30 Sunday morning.

The coroner says they were traveling in a Ford Explorer when it overturned multiple times.

The jaws of life were used to extract the 39-year old mother from the vehicle.

Coach Norwood says Crump underwent surgery and is expected to have a successful recovery.

The high school senior suffered injuries to his lungs and a fracture to his left elbow.

He is currently at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Winona and Kilmichael Fire Departments, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department responded to the wreck.

MHP Troop D is handling the case.