Wreck just north of county line kills Yazoo man

Published 12:00 am Sunday, February 15, 2009

A one-car wreck in Yazoo County just north of the Warren County line early Saturday killed a Benton man and injured his son.

Lloyd Shaffer, 53, 267 Wildwood Road, was pronounced dead at the scene by Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers. He attributed the death to head injuries.

His son, Maurice Shaffer, 33, also of Benton, was taken to River Region Medical Center, where he was in fair condition Saturday night, spokesman Diane Gawronski said.

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“Lloyd was an outgoing man,” said his cousin, Carl Shaffer. “He looked out for the welfare and well-being of the citizens of Yazoo County.”

A part-time farmer, Lloyd Shaffer was a past president of the Yazoo County chapter of the NAACP, Carl Shaffer said. He was known for helping orchestrate a black farmers’ lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture in 1997, he added.

At one time, he farmed about 800 acres of corn, cotton and soybeans, his cousin said. He was active in Mount Olive M.B. Church in Bentonia.

In addition to Maurice Shaffer, survivors include Lloyd Shaffer’s wife, Linda; another son; two daughters and grandchildren, Carl Shaffer said.

The wreck occurred on Mississippi 3 around 1:30 Saturday morning, Shivers said. The men were southbound in a 2006 Pontiac Grand Am. South of Phoenix Road, the car left the road, hit a ditch and flipped several times, he said.

Neither man apparently was wearing a seat belt, and both were ejected from the car, Shivers said.

Deputies from Yazoo and Warren counties responded with officers from the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol. Rescue workers from Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department and American Medical Response assisted.

Maurice Shaffer is a state law enforcement officer formerly assigned to Vicksburg, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said.

The wreck early Saturday occurred hours after another fatal wreck in the Warren County area, this one Friday night on I-20 just west of the Bovina exit.

Vicksburg resident Bernice T. Kuhnert, 85, was killed when her car crossed the highway median and collided with a car driven by Stephen Courtwright.

Courtwright and his wife, Tricia, of Gladewater, Texas, were taken to River Region Medical Center and later transferred to University Medical Center in Jackson. They were in good condition Saturday night, hospital spokesman Patrice Guilfoyle said.

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Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com.