Mississippi highways were particularly deadly on Labor Day, with the Mississippi Highway Patrol reporting 15 fatalities. Crashes were up across the state, including in Troop E’s jurisdiction, which includes Panola County.

One of the tragic accidents involved Batesville. On Sunday, September 1, a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek driven by Robert Noah of Jackson collided with a 2024 Jeep Wagoneer driven by

Peaches McMurray of Batesville on Highway 7 in Grenada County.

The crash killed 18-year-old Noah and a 74-year-old passenger in the Wagoneer, Lizzie Tucker of Richmond, Texas.

The Mississippi State Highway Patrol began its holiday enforcement period on Friday and ended it at midnight Monday.

During that time, officers responded to seven fatal crashes in Grenada, Warren, Stone, Wilkinson, Prentiss and Issaquena counties. Fifteen people died and 81 were injured.

During the same period in 2023, there were four fatal accidents in which four people died.

In other fatal cases:

• Six people on a bus died when it veered off the road and overturned in Warren County on Saturday. Another 36 passengers were injured.
• A Stone County woman died Saturday when the vehicle she was riding in went off the road and overturned.
• A Wilkinson County man was killed Monday when the truck he was driving went off the road and overturned.
• A father and son were killed Monday when they were struck by an ATV traveling from a private driveway onto Highway 365 in Prentiss County.
• Also on Monday, One man was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Issaquena County.

Police issued a total of 7,123 tickets, responded to 155 accidents, made 122 arrests for drink-driving and issued 740 tickets for violating passenger safety regulations.

During the 2023 Labor Day long weekend, officers issued 9,186 tickets, responded to 147 crashes, made 141 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and issued 698 tickets for violating passenger safety regulations.