Retired Mississippi trooper killed after car rolls on top of him at the scene of a crash

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A retired Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper was crushed by a vehicle and killed Monday after stopping to help people involved in a crash.

Mike Griffin, the retired trooper, came across a two-vehicle crash on a north Mississippi highway, according to the state Department of Public Safety. A pickup truck traveling west had collided with a sedan going in the same direction.

After the crash, 62-year-old Griffin of Ripley, Mississippi, stopped to check on the sedan’s driver when the car rolled on top of him. He was later found by other officers and pronounced dead at the scene.

In a written statement, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Griffin was a close family friend.

“Mike Griffin was family to Elee and me, and I’m devastated by the news of the tragic accident that took his life this morning. But I’m not in the least bit surprised he was on the side of the road trying to help someone in need - because that was just the kind of person he was,” Reeves said in a news release.

After retirement, he continued his service with the Department of Public Safety working as a liaison with law enforcement agencies across Mississippi. He is survived by his wife, Edna, and daughter Olivia.

The Department of Public Safety did not mention the condition of the drivers involved in the crash. The episode remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.