Guion, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – A Brookland man was killed and another Northeast Arkansas resident injured in a crash involving a gasoline tanker tied to a Jonesboro-based company last week in Izard County.
According to an Arkansas State Police crash report, the accident happened around 4:11 p.m. March 18 on State Highway 58 near Guion.
Authorities say a tow truck operated by KEG Towing based in Jonesboro was hauling a disabled truck tractor and fuel tanker owned by Star Transportation of Jonesboro when the crash occurred.
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Investigators determined the tow truck was traveling westbound down a hill when it ran off the right side of the roadway as it entered a curve. The driver was unable to negotiate the turn, and the tow truck became separated from the tanker it was pulling. Both the tow truck and tanker overturned, with the tanker striking several trees before coming to rest.
The tow truck came to rest on its driver’s side, while the tanker ended up on its side after the rollover.
Killed in the crash was 31-year-old Dalton Ray Graham of Brookland, who was the driver of the disabled truck and tanker and a passenger in the tow truck. He was transported by the Izard County Coroner to a local funeral home.
The driver of the tow truck, 34-year-old Adam McClung of Paragould, was airlifted to UAMS in Little Rock with “suspected serious” injuries, according to the accident report.
According to a driver statement by McClung included in the report, the truck was hauling a fully loaded fuel tanker on a road the driver was not familiar with. The statement indicates the brakes began to fail while descending the hill before the curve, and the vehicle overturned while the driver attempted to maintain control.
Weather conditions were clear, and the roadway was dry at the time of the crash. The two-lane highway is marked with a 45-mph speed limit and includes a steep grade in the area where the crash occurred.
In the days following the crash, officials announced cleanup efforts in the area but did not specify whether or not there was a fuel spill.
The Izard County Sheriff’s Office said crews were working Monday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to approximately 4 p.m., conducting cleanup operations related to the crash. Motorists were advised to expect delays and use caution traveling through the area.
Neither the sheriff’s office nor the Arkansas State Police has released additional details about the cleanup.
Star Transportation owner Al Herringer, IV, told Jonesboro Right Now the company is still working to determine exactly what happened.
“This is a tragic accident,” Herringer said. “Graham was an excellent driver and part of our team, and we feel for his young family. We feel for the tow truck company as well. We aren’t sure exactly what happened, and this will be an ongoing issue.”
The crash remains under investigation by the Arkansas State Police.
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