An accident on the Highway 41 bypass late Wednesday night left one person dead and another injured.

Selma Police Chief Robert Green said a motor vehicle collided with a 18-wheeler truck at approximately 11:27 p.m.

Selma resident James Rodney Howard, 23, was killed instantly when the vehicle he was driving crossed the center lane and hit the truck head-on.

Witnesses say Howard’s vehicle had already swerved once while traveling along the road, barely missing a passing truck. Soon afterwards, the victim crossed into the opposite lane again and hit the 18-wheeler driven by Millis Transfer employee Eddie Bradley.

The impact caused the truck to go off the road and land in a ravine.

The other vehicle was crushed into an unrecognizable state.

Green said the bypass had to be shut down for three to four hours while the Selma Fire Department, police department, and personnel from local wrecker services worked to clear the roadway.

The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences is currently processing evidence collected from the scene of the accident.

The final assessment, Green said, will be made once the forensics team has completed their work and all the evidence has been gathered.