JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The mayor of Jackson says an unsecured manhole cover that contributed to a deadly crash is the city’s fault.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba tells local media Monday that calls were made to police and public works about the problem on Thursday morning before a crash that killed a high school senior driving to graduation practice.

Eighteen-year-old Frances Fortner died shortly after the convertible she was driving flipped.

Lumumba says police officers responded earlier after a woman hit the manhole and blew out two tires, and says an officer believed the manhole was in place.

Public Works Director Bob Miller says a paving company was completing work, including raising manholes to match the height of the roadbed.
Miller says the city could reinstate a crew that places barriers around traffic hazards.