Paint Truck Flips Near Elkins; Driver in Fair Condition

STAFF PHOTO DAVID GOTTSCHALK Emergency personnel carry Terry Moore Friday to an awaiting helicopter for evacuation following a one-truck accident around 10:50 a.m. on Arkansas 16 between Elkins and Fayetteville.
STAFF PHOTO DAVID GOTTSCHALK Emergency personnel carry Terry Moore Friday to an awaiting helicopter for evacuation following a one-truck accident around 10:50 a.m. on Arkansas 16 between Elkins and Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- A man was listed in fair condition at Washington Regional Medical Center after his Mack paint-striping truck overturned late Friday morning.

The accident happened just east of the West Fork of the White River bridge on the city limits of Fayetteville and Elkins.

Terry Moore, 42, of Greenwood apparently didn't turn quickly enough at a bend in the road going east, flipping the truck into a nearby ditch, said Sgt. Craig Stout with Fayetteville police.

Moore was trapped for more than an hour in cold and shallow water and suffered a large laceration to his forehead, Stout said.

"Laying there in that cold water for a while is obviously an issue," Stout said.

Traffic in both directions was blocked for several hours while emergency responders worked to remove Moore from the wreckage and to clean up paint spilled from the truck. By early afternoon authorities had opened up one lane, alternating traffic in both directions. The other lane remained closed as the work day ended.

Fair condition means vitals are stable and normal and the patient is conscious, according to the Washington Regional website.

A hazardous material cleanup team with the Fayetteville Fire Department was sent to the scene, said Battalion Chief Mauro Campos. The team was working to contain the paint to prevent it from leaching into the nearby river or soil before removing the truck.

It wasn't clear how much paint spilled, Campos said, nor how long cleanup might take.

NW News on 03/15/2014

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