A Vicksburg man described by his mother as &#8220kind-hearted” has died in a wreck along Confederate Avenue.

It was the first of three serious accidents Sunday morning and today.

Killed was Christopher Rawlings, 27, 810 Queen St. He was the second son of Willette Rawlings in two years to die in a wreck in Vicksburg. His brother, Corey Rawlings, died along Interstate 20 in January 2005. A step-sister, Almeda Rawlings, also died in a wreck that same year.

&#8220We’re in shock,” Mrs. Rawlings said this morning. &#8220I just lost another son.”

Investigators were still gathering information about the fatal accident and indicated criminal charges were possible.

Rawlings was a passenger in a GMC Yukon driven by Timothy Pee, 21, 106 Colonial Drive. They were westbound on Confederate Avenue near Toot’s Grocery at 6:36 a.m. when the SUV left the road, went airborne, flipped at least once and struck a tree, Vicksburg Patrolman Bobby Jones said.

The vehicle came to rest on its top in a thicket of woods alongside the road just past Rosedown Street. Rawlings was pronounced dead at the scene, said Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey. An autopsy Sunday evening showed he died of internal injuries. Lakeview Funeral Home will have charge of arrangements.

Pee was taken to River Region Medical Center, where he remained in fair condition this morning, a hospital spokesman said.

Jones said alcohol could also be a factor, pending blood test results. Any criminal charges will depend on what those tests show, Jones added.

Willette Rawlings said her son loved his family and had stayed close to home to take care of her.

&#8220He was my only child who stayed with me. He didn’t leave – he stayed here with me,” she said. &#8220I will miss him. He’ll always be in my heart. Every day that goes by, I will think about him.”

The Confederate Avenue wreck was the fifth fatal auto accident in Vicksburg and Warren County this year.

Christopher Rawlings was the cousin of Vicksburg contractor Tommie F. Rawlings, who along with his brother, Eric, are candidates for office in local elections. Tommie Rawlings remembers growing up around Christopher and his siblings.

&#8220We were just real close,” Tommie Rawlings said. &#8220I saw him not long ago at my daughter’s wedding, and we always had love and respect for each other.”

Tommie Rawlings is seeking the District 2 seat on the Warren County Board of Supervisors. Eric Rawlings is a candidate for the state Senate.

The second wreck in the city Sunday sent an Alabama man to River Region Medical Center after a Benjamin Moore Paints truck turned over on Interstate 20.

Gary Alexander, 57, of Ragland, Ala., was westbound just before the Flowers exit when the truck overturned while avoiding another motorist, Mississippi Highway Patrolman Cleo Lindsey said. Alexander was treated and released, said a hosptial spokesman.

This morning’s wreck, at 2:58, was on Interstate 20 near the Indiana Avenue exit.

Cedric Phillips, 26, 780 U.S. 61 North, was on the interstate when he apparently lost control of his 1994 Chevrolet Caprice, said Lt. Bobby Stewart of the Vicksburg Police Department.

Stewart said Phillips’ car ran into the median, then crossed back and hit a tree before breaking in half.

Phillips was transferred to University Medical Center in Jackson, where a spokesman said this morning he was in critical condition.