Interstate 10 crash in Jackson County kills two, injures three

Video above: 'News 5 Now' — Top Stories from Feb. 18, 2026 JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WKRG) — A crash on Interstate 10 killed two people and injured three others in Jackson County, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The crash reportedly occurred around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 18 at the 50‑mile marker near Ocean Springs. A Ford prisoner transport van owned by the St. Joseph Detention Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, was traveling west around 9:30 a.m. Feb. 18 when it reportedly collided with a 2005 Ford E‑350 utility van. The prisoner transport vehicle was driven by 32‑year‑old Michael Valera of Lake Wales, Florida, and occupied by a 27‑year‑old and two inmates, including 34‑year‑old William Rodman and a 29-year-old. An MHP spokesperson said the utility van was driven by a 54‑year‑old from Gautier, Mississippi, who was also traveling west. Following the collision, the prisoner transport van left the roadway, overturned, and reportedly caught fire, according to MHP. Valera and Rodman received fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene, according to an MHP spokesperson. The other two passengers in the prison transport van received life‑threatening injuries and were airlifted to an out‑of‑state hospital. The Gautier man received serious injuries and was taken from the scene by ambulance. The agency said the crash remains under investigation.