TUPELO – High winds and thunderstorms raked Northeast Mississippi on Monday, and an 18-wheeler dangling off a Highway 45 bridge offered testimony to their force.

The truck overturned from the southbound lane of Highway 45 onto Barnes Crossing Road, and the driver walked away unharmed.

Joe Sisk of Shannon, a truck driver for Shannon Steel, said Monday’s strong storms were to blame for the accident. “The wind picked me up and just laid me over,” Sisk said.

The wind caused damage across the region, with 50-60 mph gusts reported. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency reported trees down, scattered property damage and random power outages in Lee, Itawamba, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Clay, Tishomingo, Union, Grenada, Lowndes and Tallahatchie counties.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported.

After it tipped over, the cab of Sisk’s truck was still on Highway 45, with the trailer bent downward over the bridge and landing on the ground just beside Barnes Crossing Road. Sisk said he was able to climb out of the cab, and none of the windows were broken.

He was hauling car parts from Portland, Tenn., to Shannon when the accident occurred shortly after 1 p.m.

Tupelo police blocked off traffic from around the accident scene. Tupelo Fire Department was also on scene, helping wrecking crews remove the truck from the overpass.

Elsewhere in Tupelo, part of the roof at the Department of Human Services office on Ida Street in Tupelo was blown off, and an outbuilding was blown over at Home Depot in Tupelo.

Hail was reported in Monroe County and other parts of the region as well. In central Mississippi, there were reports of hail as large as tennis balls.

Sunny skies return to Northeast Mississippi today, with highs near 63.

sheena.barnett@journalinc.com