Infignos Media - Two killed, nine injured in U.S. 431 wreck; pickup with children in back flipped

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Two killed, nine injured in U.S. 431 wreck; pickup with children in back flipped

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Guntersville, Al.- Two people were killed and nine others injured in a two-vehicle wreck in which a pickup carrying more than 10 children flipped, Alabama State Troopers reported.

The accident on U.S. 431, about a mile north of Alabama 79 occurred at about 2:40 p.m. Both northbound and southbound lanes were still closed as of 4:45 p.m. Traffic was being detoured through Grant from Cathedral Caverns Highway to Alabama 79.

Chris Harrison of Gadsden, stated that he saw the wreck as he drove north on 431 to Huntsville: He said the truck passed him going faster than 65 with a compact car following close behind.

Harrison said that there were five or six kids, who looked like they had been swimming, riding in the back of the truck, and when it lost control all of them spilled out of the back as the truck flipped about four times.

"They were about 200 to 300 yards ahead of me when it happened, and when I saw the cloud of dust, I knew what it was," Harrison said.

The truck caught fire probably two to three minutes after it came to a rest, he said. Then passing motorists who had stopped began pulling victims away from the scene as the flames enveloped the truck, he added.

The ground was charred around where the pickup landed. Parts of the camouflaged-painted truck were charred, too.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Alabama in one of 19 states in the nation that has no restrictions on passengers riding in cargo areas of pickups. Should it be illegal for passengers to ride in cargo bed of pickups? (poll)

Witnesses said they saw four medical helicopters and four ambulances taking victims to hospitals. The victim in one helicopter died in route to Huntsville Hospital, witnesses said.

"That's the most helicopters I've ever seen at a wreck," said James Maze, a former police officer who lives near where the fatal accident occurred.

He said he spoke to a woman who was a relative of one of the victims, and she told him there were 14 children who lived in the area riding in the truck bed and cab, and all of them were age 18 or younger.

"The lady told me a tire blew out on the truck and it (heading northbound) lost control and crossed over the median and the southbound lanes. You can see the skid marks on the highway where it lost control.," said Maze, a former Marshall County District 2 commissioner

State trooper Richard Suttle, said there were four people in other vehicle, but he did not have details on how many victims came from each vehicle.

"We're in the process of identifying the victims," he said.

The investigation into the wreck in still ongoing, so Suttle said he wouldn't speculate on how many children were riding in the back of the truck, but he added, obviously not all of them could have fit in the truck cab.

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Keywords: Alabama State Troopers , U.S. 431, Alabama 79 ,Cathedral Caverns Highway ,two-vehicle wreck,Marshall County ,fatal accident

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