DPS Troopers Glen Goodwin and Darwon Evans with Corky Cochran prepare to load the accident victim on a nearby hearse.
Fatality Accident on 59 South at 1988, GOODRICH, August 25, 2008 - At approximately 11 pm on August 24, 2008, a white 1999 Ford F-150 was south-bound on on US 59 South. The truck went off the road to the right of the highway rolled and slammed into a drainage culvert. The driver went through the windshield and came to a rest on the concrete beneath the suspended truck. DPS Troopers Darwon Evans and Glen Goodwin were dispatched to the scene of the accident. Also at the scene was Polk County Sheriff's Deputy Billy Duke. Additionally Livingston Fire Chief Corky Cochran arrived. Initially, it was believed that the driver of the truck was trapped and that the jaws of life may be needed, but when the body of the driver (whose name is being withheld pending notification of relatives) was found, the fire department was called off. An ambulance from Americare Ambulance Service was on hand to assist. Shortly after midnight, Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Stephen McEntyre arrived and pronounced the person dead at the scene. A short time later, a body car from Cochran Funeral Home arrived. Alcohol is not being ruled out as a possible cause in the accident as there was a heavy smell of alcohol at the scene, and cans of beer still cold around the wreckage. In addition there were whiskey bottles that fell from the truck. Because the entrance to the culvert was blocked by the truck, the troopers with a funeral home representative, had to navigate from the north-bound side of 59 through the drainage duct under the highway to get to the body of the accident victim. The body was then placed into a body bag and taken back through the large drainage duct where the body car waited on the north-bound side and the body loaded and take to Cochran Funeral home. One lane of 59 South was blocked as a heavy duty wrecker from Riley Towing & Recovery extracted the truck from the culvert. The truck was loaded onto a rollback wrecker and towed away from the scene. The scene was cleared and traffic fully flowing at around 2 a.m.
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