Stranded in a drainage ditch for three days after crashing her 2017 Honda Accord off of Interstate 59, it’s nothing short of a miracle that one Petal woman survived after sustaining serious injuries.
However, with the help of an unidentified man walking the interstate who discovered the crashed vehicle, emergency crews responded to the scene and airlifted the crash victim to an area hospital Monday evening.
Shanna Culpepper, 31, of Petal was driving north on Interstate 59 when she lost control and crashed into a concrete culvert near the Highway 588 bypass in Ellisville (exit 85) days earlier. She was stuck in the vehicle, which was not visible from the highway because of dense vegetation covering the vehicle.
On Monday evening at about 5:20, a man walking along the highway heard Culpepper scream and saw a tiny light flashing. When he looked around, he discovered her in the vehicle off the roadway and stuck in a drainage canal.
Sources with knowledge of the case said she was able to crawl out of the vehicle and up the embankment for a short distance, despite suffering serious injuries. The man who found the woman was able to flag down a vehicle to call 911.
This is the third or fourth crash where someone was found days later in 2021, said Mississippi Highway Patrol Mst. Sgt. Chase Elkins.
The crash remains under investigation by MHP.