A truck hauling gravel overturned Thursday afternoon after coming out of a deep curve on Mississippi Highway 35 just south of Paynes.
The accident was reported in a 911 call shortly before 2:30.
The truck landed on its right side, crosswise, blocking both northbound and southbound lanes of traffic.
A thin strip of pavement on the east side of the trailer allowed vehicles to gingerly navigate around the wreckage using a portion of sloping shoulder.
A man in a yellow vest, reported to be the truck driver, was seen lying on his back in a field about 15 feet west of the wrecked cab. He appeared to be alert and was seen occasionally looking at a cellphone that he held in his hands. First responders administered aid until a Pafford ambulance arrived at the scene about 3:35 p.m.
Vehicles and officials from the Tallahatchie County Sheriff's Office, Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commercial Transportation Enforcement Division were on hand. A pumper truck from the Paynes Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched as a precaution, but no fire was visible.
The truck reportedly was southbound on Highway 35 at the time of the accident. Its payload of gravel spilled out into the highway and a ditch and adjoining field on the west side of the roadway.
The owner of the truck was not immediately known.
This particular deep curve, just south of Free State Trucking and Staten's Scrap Metal yard, has been the setting for many accidents over the years.
