Purvis, MS : Matthew Blake Harrell, 24, and Cody Hammond, 26, died in A one-vehicle accident at 763 Old Highway 24 in Lamar County on Monday night, December 28, 2015

A one-vehicle accident claimed the lives of two people Monday night in Lamar County.

The victims are identified as Matthew Blake Harrell, 24, and Cody Hammond, 26, both from Columbia.

Both were sent to Jackson for an autopsy, according to Lamar Co. Deputy Coroner Andy Geske.

The wreck happened just before 7 p.m. at 763 Old Highway 24, where a Mustang left the road and struck a tree head-on.

Emergency crews from Central Lamar Volunteer Fire Department, Oloh Volunteer Fire Department, ASAP Ambulance Service and the Lamar County Sheriff’s Department worked to extricate Hammond, the passenger, from the vehicle.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Geske.

The cause of the wreck is still under the investigation, but speed was a factor.

Source :

Victims identified in Lamar Co. fatal crash