A veteran officer with the Mississippi Department of Corrections was killed in a crash Monday afternoon.
Sgt. Iris Smith died on impact when the MDOC van she was driving collided with the back of an 18-wheeler while she was escorting an inmate from Greene County Hospital to Forrest General Hospital shortly after 3 p.m., according to The Clarion-Ledger.
The 53-year-old corrections officer was in the van alone as another officer rode with the inmate in the ambulance on U.S. 49 in Hattiesburg.
Smith had been with the MDOC for almost 15 years and worked at South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Greene County. She had also worked at George County Community Work Center and had been commended for extra effort during her career.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Sgt. Smith's family," Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher said. "Her unexpected death shows how fragile life is. It's the kind of news we all dread hearing. She was driving from one destination to another as a certified peace officer to provide the secure custody and control of an inmate when her life was cut short."
The crash is currently under investigation by the Hattiesburg Police Department.
Funeral arrangements are pending.