The Arkansas State Police say that a fishtailing trailer being hauled by a Ford pickup truck was the use of an accident on Monday in Pope County that took the life of a 59-year-old Muskogee man and sent two other occupants of the vehicle to a local hospital.
According to information from the Arkansas State Police Steven Baxter, 59, of Muskogee was a passenger in a 2002 vehicle that was traveling westbound on Interstate 40 near mile marker 80 just befor 8 PM on Monday. As the vehicle merged into the inside westbound Lane the trailer started fishtailing and the driver, 41-year-old Randy Harris,also from Muskogee, was unable to maintain control.
The truck struck the south concrete bridge barrier and started to flip. The vehicle rolled over several times finally coming to rest on the top against the north concrete barrier. The trailer landed upright still attached to the vehicle.
Baxter was pronounced dead at the scene. Harris and another passenger Paul Sekulich, 38, of Muskogee were transported to St Mary's Regional ER in Russellville for treatment of unspecified injuries.
ASP trooper Adrienne Belcher noted clody weather and dry roads at the time of the fatal crash. Release of the preliminary report was delayed pending notification of next of kin.
The Pope County accident was the 567th of the year that resulted in a fatality. There have now been 520 fatalities in the state of Arkansas in 2024.
