A Starkville resident could be charged with leaving the scene of an accident immediately after an on-campus collision resulted in the death of a community college student early Saturday morning. He has already been charged with DUI manslaughter.MSU Police Lt. Don Bartlett said 20-year-old Joshua Buckner could face additional charges, including leaving the scene of an accident, but would not disclose Buckner’s whereabouts prior to the incident.
The one-vehicle accident claimed the life of 19-year-old Charlesy Collins, a student at East Mississippi Community College and Starkville resident. Collins was among four passengers in the two-door vehicle when the 12:30 a.m. incident occurred, according to Oktibbeha County coroner Michael Hunt. The vehicle struck a light pole on Coliseum Boulevard near Griffis Hall.
Bond for Buckner has not been set as of Saturday afternoon, according to information in the Starkville Daily News.
Hunt said Collins was sitting in the back seat, but wasn’t wearing a seat belt, according to WCBI-TV. However, conflicting reports from Bartlett indicated Collins was sitting in the front passenger seat at the time of the collision, according to an interview with the Starkville Daily News.
Additionally, officers present at the scene would not comment whether or not any of the passengers were wearing seat belts at the time of impact.
Collins died at approximately 3:10 a.m. at Oktibbeha County Hospital from what the coroner described as “multiple-system trauma.”
The other surviving passengers, David Willington, 20, and Joanna Morgan, 20, are not MSU students, investigators said. The group was driving north through the MSU campus on Coliseum Boulevard.
Collins’ body has been sent to Jackson for an autopsy.
The other passengers were taken to Oktibbeha County Hospital and treated for severe cuts and bruises. The two were subsequently released.
The Reflector will have more on this breaking story as information becomes available.