18-Wheeler flips, killing driver in West Point

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – An Alabama truck driver dies in a West Point crash this morning.

Investigators say the truck was going north on Highway 45 Alternate, hit the back of a car, crossed the median and overturned in a field next to Mossy Oak.

Neil Allen Hays, 49, of Leroy, Alabama died at the scene.

West Point police say the tanker was carrying black liquor.

Black liquor is a waste product of the paper making process.

“The company that he was driving for are on their way to come down to offload the vehicle. That will be the only way the vehicle will be able to be put back upright without causing any more problems, as far as leakage,” says West Point Police Assistant Chief Kennedy Meaders.

Clay County Coroner Alvin Carter says it’s unclear if Hayes had a medical issue while driving.

An autopsy will be performed.