A Theodore man died Saturday after apparently suffering a medical emergency behind the wheel on Interstate 10 in Mobile, according to Mobile police.
Benjamin Scott Jernigan, 53, was pronounced dead at Spring Hill Medical Center after his vehicle left the eastbound lanes of I-10 between Rangeline Road and Interstate 65 and struck a pole, according to police spokeswoman Ashley Rains. Officers were called to the scene around 8:20 a.m. Rains said a preliminary investigation showed Jernigan’s vehicle traveled about a quarter of a mile off the interstate before striking the pole, and that the vehicle sustained only minor damage.
Investigators said Jernigan did not appear to have suffered major trauma in the crash itself, reinforcing the initial assessment that a medical episode, rather than the collision, was the primary cause of death. Detectives continued investigating the crash into the following week, and police did not report any indication that other vehicles or drivers were involved.
The stretch of I-10 where the crash occurred is one of the busiest corridors in the Mobile area, carrying heavy commuter and commercial traffic between the Bayway and the interchange with I-65, and it has periodically been the site of single-vehicle crashes tied to sudden medical episodes or mechanical failures over the years.
Cases like Jernigan’s underscore a recurring challenge for traffic investigators: distinguishing between crashes caused by driver error and those triggered by a sudden health crisis behind the wheel. Medical experts note that conditions such as cardiac events, strokes and seizures can strike without warning, sometimes leaving little time for a driver to safely pull over. Mobile police said the investigation into the crash remained open as detectives worked to finalize their findings on what led up to Jernigan’s death.
Emergency responders from the Mobile Police Department and Mobile Fire-Rescue arrived within minutes of the initial report, closing a portion of the eastbound lanes while crews worked the scene and cleared debris from the roadway. Traffic along that stretch of I-10 was briefly affected during the morning response before lanes reopened. Police said they would release further details, including a full account of Jernigan’s medical history if relevant, only after the investigation concluded.