The two young Vicksburg men killed in a three-vehicle wreck on Interstate 20 Friday night were described Saturday by their families as “polite” and “happy-go-lucky.”

The woman who was injured in the wreck, Kimberly Graves, 28, 1525 South St., meanwhile, was released from River Region Medical Center, said Diane Gawronski, director of public relations.

The wreck Friday night occurred between Flowers and Bovina as 19-year-old Justin Ferguson, 367 Rollingwood Drive, who was eastbound, apparently lost control of his car and crossed the median, hitting Graves’ westbound car and ramming it into an westbound 18-wheeler. The truck driver was not injured.

Warren County Deputy Coroner Kelda Bailess pronounced Ferguson and his passenger dead at the sceme. The passenger was identified as 17-year-old Varian Hutchison, 1951 U.S. 80. Bailess said autopsies would be performed today at the Mississippi Crime Lab in Jackson.

As funeral arrangements were being made Saturday, family members talked about the young men.

Furguson “was very polite and well-mannered,” said his maternal grandmother, Nancy Duren of Edwards. “He was a car buff. He loved working on cars. He also played on the Culkin baseball team for five years in a summer league.” 

He was born in Mount Pleasant, S.C., but had lived in Warren County since he was 3, Duren said. He attended Warren Central Junior High School, was a 2007 graduate of Riverside Christian Academy and had planned to join the military, she said.

The son of Cindy and Charles Wright, Ferguson came from a large family, said Duren. He had two sisters, a brother and more than 35 members in his immediate family, most of whom live in the Vicksburg area. His father, Tommie Ferguson, lives in Texas. 

Nicknamed “Veno,” Hutchison was originally from Memphis and had lived in Vicksburg since 2006, said his older brother, Rodrick Reed.

“He was just a happy-go-lucky guy. He was always smiling, got along with everybody and he never met a stranger,” said Reed.

Hutchison was a former student at Warren Central High School, said Reed, and was pursuing his GED. He worked alongside a family friend doing carpentry and enjoyed spending his free time with family. His parents are Juanita Hutchison and Stanley Neil, and he had three brothers and one sister.

Services for Ferguson will be 2 p.m. Monday at Glenwood Funeral Home in Vicksburg with the Rev. Dwight Sibley officiating. Burial will be at Edwards Cemetery. Visitation will be from noon until the service on Monday. Dillon-Chisley Funeral Home has charge of arrangements for Hutchison.

The wreck caused traffic to back up in the east and westbound lanes of the highway for hours. Both westbound lanes were closed from 8:19 to 11:30 p.m, which had traffic at a standstill into Hinds County, said Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace. Eastbound traffic was temporarily reduced to one lane to accommodate emergency response vehicles, and remained backed up until around 11 p.m.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com