By Billy Davis

The inclement weather claimed a victim Thursday morning in north Panola County, when a driver flipped her automobile after losing control on an icy patch of highway.

Authorities said Carolyn Whitehead, of Lambert, died shortly before 8 a.m. as she drove north on Highway 51. Her vehicle skidded into a 30-foot ravine.

Whitehead, who was commuting to work in Sardis, was declared dead on the scene. She was 49.  

The one-vehicle accident occurred just north of Ballentine Road, where Whitehead was traveling downhill in a well-shaded area of the highway.

She was driving a Pontiac Grand Prix, said Panola Sheriff Otis Griffin.

Whitehead was employed as an energy assistance clerk at non-profit Mid-State Opportunity, Inc., a spokesman for the agency said.