
On Tuesday, a truck driver was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his involvement in a fatal crash.
The wreck happened on June 2nd, 2014 in Clinton, Arkansas near the Archey Creek Bridge. The then 39-year-old truck driver, Jerry L Hickman, was driving south on Highway 65 near Highway 16 when his left rear trailer tire had a blowout. The load shifted, and the trailer overturned.
The trailer was hauling logs which came crashing down onto the highway and bridge. Two construction workers, Ricardo Trochez and Hubert Keith Moore were killed, and sixteen others suffered injuries as a result of the wreck.
Police stated that at the time of the incident, Hickman was on probation for meth possession. According to the authorities who arrived at the scene, the truck driver was clearly intoxicated.
Arkansas Online reported that Hicks entered a negotiated plea of guilty to two counts of negligent homicide, 10 counts of first-degree felony battery and six counts of second-degree felony battery.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Chad Brown explained, “The moment Jerry Hickman took the wheel high on methamphetamine, his log truck became a weapon of destruction.”
Judge H.G. Foster issued Hickman the maximum sentence for the crimes of negligent homicide. She sentenced him to 40 consecutive years in prison and was ordered to pay $15,525.25 in damages.
After the incident, legal trouble was also brought to light for the owner of the truck, Don Allen Pearson when an investigation began. In November 2015 he pleaded guilty to the distribution of over 50 grams of methamphetamine. On March 1st he was sentenced to three years of probation.