Saucier, MS : Gulfport airman killed in a single-vehicle accident on Airey Tower Road on Friday night, December 25, 2015

An airman on leave for the holidays was killed in a single-vehicle accident on Christmas night in Saucier.

L.J. Montgomery, 21, had just arrived home in Gulfport on Christmas Eve from Japan, where he was stationed in the Air Force.

Authorities say Montgomery was driving southbound on Airey Tower Road at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the vehicle. As the car slid off the road, it veered to the right, broadsiding the driver's door and crashing into a pine tree

Even though Montgomery was wearing a seat belt, the collision was fierce enough to cause fatal head and chest wounds, said Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove.

Montgomery, a Harrison Central High School graduate, was pronounced dead at the scene from blunt force trauma.

Now, family and friends are trying to comprehend why the active duty airman's car slid off the road, why it crashed into a tree, and why he died.

Investigators believe the combination of speed and slick pavement contributed to this deadly accident.

Two female passengers, both 15, were in the vehicle at the time of the accident, as well. Neither were wearing a seat belt.

One was treated at Garden Park Hospital with minor injuries, while the other was transported to University of South Alabama Medical Center with critical injuries.

Source :

Gulfport airman killed in Christmas Day crash