A truck involved in a fatal accident north of Natchez Saturday night was actually owned by the passenger, not the driver, according to a state trooper investigating the accident.

James A. Carradine, 47, of 201 Dumas Drive, was pronounced dead at Natchez Regional Medical Center following the 8:43 p.m. accident, which happened on Mississippi 555 four miles north of Natchez.

But the truck Carradine was driving actually belonged to his passenger, Howard Crum of 57 Roselawn Forest Drive in Natchez, Trooper Terry White said Monday.

&uot;(Crum) was questioned at the scene and said he was the passenger in the vehicle,&uot; not the driver, White said. &uot;I have no idea why (Carradine) was driving.&uot;

According to White, an Adams County sheriff’s deputy said a passing motorist stopped and pulled Crum from the vehicle. Carradine was partially out of the vehicle, White added.

Crum smelled strongly of alcohol but was not given an alcohol test and refused to be transported to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries following the accident, White said.

Adams County Coroner James Lee said Monday that he has sent samples of Carradine’s blood to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for alcohol testing.

Lee said he expects to receive test results in four to five weeks.

White confirmed that Carradine was driving south, when he lost control of his 1979 Ford pickup and hit an embankment at the intersection of Mississippi 555 and Foster Mound Road. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

As of Monday night, the accident was still under investigation.