Man dies after being hit by truck on icy road near Alma

Moments after pushing a car from an ice-covered road on Christmas Day, Harold Lee Alexander tried to throw his son out of the path of a sliding pickup that overtook the pair.

The pickup fully struck Alexander, who died Saturday after his family removedhim from life support. Doctors expected him to go home Wednesday or Thursday, but he suffered a heart attack that left him brain dead, said Harold Lee Alexander II.

“So, we made the decision to take him off life support and let him go to a better place,” his son said.

The elder Alexander, 47, was driving home from celebrating Christmas with his family when he happened upon a car stuck on a hill on Dean Springs Road, north of Alma. Alexander and his youngest son, Colby Alexander, 20, got out to help.

Alexander’s wife, Karen, and their daughters Kyndie, 16, and Hannah, 14, stayed in the car at the bottom of the hill waiting. They watched asa yellow Ford Ranger came over the hill, began sliding, then struck the men as they walked back down. The elder Alexander took the brunt of the impact.

The Ranger’s driver, Kasey Scott Cady, 22, told Crawford County deputies that he came over the hill to find the parked car and tried to stop, according to reports. Cady was citedfor careless/prohibited driving.

Witnesses told deputies they thought Cady was speeding when he hit the ice, which caused his vehicle to turn sideways. The truck hit the Alexanders with the right rear fender, then rolled.

They all ended up in a ditch about 10 feet belowthe roadway, the truck on its roof.

Harold Lee Alexander II said his younger brother can’t remember much about the accident, other than that his father grabbed him by each shoulder and threw him out of the direct path of the truck.

Harold Lee Alexander II said the impact broke all of his father’s ribs and destroyed his right kidney. Doctors worried about the condition of the other kidney, so he was flown to a hospital in Little Rock, the younger Alexander said. He said his father was in pain but moved from intensive care to a regular room.

“He was being our silly dad,” he said. “But even if he knew he was dead, he wouldn’t show it.”

The elder Alexander wasfitted for a back brace Tuesday morning but was on life support that night. He remained on life support until 4:05 p.m. Saturday.

The younger Alexander said he held his father’s hand as he died. Had it been a typical Saturday, Alexander said his father would have been dressed in one of his Razorback sweat suits, getting ready to watch the Autozone Liberty Bowl, which started not 30 minutes later.

“I told him he was going to have the best seat in the house,” Alexander said.

The elder Alexander was a devoted Razorback fan, but nothing came before family, his son said. He said his father kept his family strong through Karen Alexander’s three bouts with cancer.

“The whole world could have been falling down around us and you’d never know it because dad kept us going,” the younger Alexander said. “He was always justas happy as could be.”

The elder Alexander also took an extra job so he could cut expenses for the family business, Special Moments Photography.

Alexander said his father started working as a paper carrier for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette so he could forgo his full salary at the family business.

The strong work ethic and affable personality got Alexander promoted to assistant district manager for circulation, said Harold Burt, Alexander’s manager.

His duties included covering routes when a carrier was out, he said. That responsibility meant Alexander often got by on 2 to 3 hours of sleep, said Kerissa Alexander, his niece.

Kerissa Alexander, who works as a photographer for Special Moments Photography, said her uncle was a workaholic. She said her uncle had an infectious laughand never lost his sense of humor.

“Special Moments won’t be the same with out him,” she said.

Harold Alexander was always doing things for people and never knew how to quit, said Andrew Korkames, a friend since high school.

Korkames said Alexander was the first guy he knew to have a real job - as a salesman. He said his friend was a dreamer but one who could bring those dreams to life.

“You could get corny and say ‘I did it my way’ kind of a thing, but that was Harold,” Korkames said.

A memorial for Alexander is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at the Lewis Funeral Chapel in Fort Smith. The family established the Harold Alexander Memorial Fund at Citizens Bank and Trust, which will serve as a college fund for his daughters.

To contact this reporter: [email protected]

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 01/05/2010

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