Family mourns tragic loss of Taj Sanford

Yesterday, an accident on Interstate 10 sent an 18-wheeler over the Pascagoula River Bridge. The driver, 47-year-old Gulfport resident Taj Sanford, was killed.

The tragic accident occurred around 4 a.m. Tuesday. Taj Sanford, the driver, swerved to avoid a crash, breaking through the side of the Pascagoula River Bridge on Interstate 10 westbound landing in the river below. Carey Sanford is the victim’s cousin. He says, “We talked every day. I didn’t hear from him that morning and I was trying to get in touch with him. When I couldn’t get in touch with him that’s when I had his wife go to where he was.”

Heartbroken, Sanford believes his cousin died trying to save the other driver. “He saw danger. He tried to avoid it. He’s been driving over 20 years so I know he knew what he was doing. So, he did try to save someone else which I’m sure he did.”

Taj was originally from Zachary, Louisiana and moved to Gulfport two years ago. This October would have been his one-year anniversary with his wife, April. He leaves behind five children, two of them live in Gulfport.  “We were like brothers. We were so close. If you knew him you had to love him, the biggest thing was his family. They meant the world to him.”

Mourning the tragic loss, Carey recalls some of the moments they shared together. “There was so many to even think of one. Me and him just loved being together.”

News 25 reached out to Taj’s brother, Kyle Sanford. Here’s a quote from Kyle about his big brother: “He inspires me to be better. He was my hero. He was the best of us. I’m going to miss him.”