A UPS driver died in an early morning accident Thursday in Newton County.

Billy “Larry” Robinson, 48, of Rainbow City, Alabama, was killed in the accident on Interstate 20 in Newton County, according to Mississippi Highway Patrol.

Robinson was a feeder driver based in Birmingham. He was a 29-year employee with UPS, a company spokeswoman said.

“We are very sad to have learned of the early morning accident of one of our employees,” said Susan Rosenberg, UPS corporate office spokeswoman in Atlanta. “We have been in touch with the family, and we will also be communicating with the co-workers to make them aware. We will cooperate with authorities to offer any help they may need with any future investigations.”

Two people, Derrick Franklin, of Ellenwood, Georgia, and his passenger, Demetrius Williams, of Atlanta, were injured in the accident. Their condition was unknown Thursday afternoon, police said.

The driver of one of the vehicles, Ougda Depoch, of Rollette, Texas, was not injured.

The accident, which involved three 18-wheelers, happened a little after 4 a.m. on Interstate 20 near the 99 mile marker, a mile west of the Lake-Lawrence exit, according to Sgt. Andy West with the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

All three 18-wheelers were traveling eastbound, when the truck driven by Franklin ran into the rear of the truck driven by Depoch, causing a chain reaction when a third 18-wheeler, the UPS truck driven by Robinson, ran into the back of the second one, West said.

All eastbound lanes on I-20 at exit 100 were blocked, causing traffic to slow down for several hours while being detoured to Highway 80. One lane was cleared by 8 a.m., allowing backed up traffic to move again, West said.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, West said.