Victims in early morning crash on I-10 in Hancock County identified

A two-person fatal wreck has closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 near mile marker 2, close to the Louisiana state line.

The accident happened about 3 a.m. when a loaded car hauler went into the median and overturned.

Mississippi Highway Patrol confirmed two people died in the accident.

Hancock County Coroner Jeff Hair identified the victims as 29-year-old Oleg Tarasevich, who was driving, and 24-year-old Yakov Tarasevich, the passenger. Both are from South Carolina.

The westbound lanes were backed up as far as Highway 603 while first responders cleared the wreck. MDOT announced that traffic was flowing again about 12:30 p.m.

Westbound vehicles were re-routed off the interstate at Exit 13 after the wreck as morning commuters were met with long delays and bumper to bumper traffic.

In January of 2022, I-10 was closed for nine hours after a car hauler truck hit the guard rail of the Pearl River bridge and caught fire. Traffic on I-10 in that area was down to one lane until repairs could be made to the bridge.

WXXV has a reporter headed to the scene and will update as information becomes available.