Nick Todaro, Reporter
09-25-2008
Wednesday’s 18-wheeler accident on I-20 has claimed its second life.
A passenger, Federal Express employee Rodney Palmer, died at 1 a.m. today in a Shreveport hospital from extensive burns he suffered in the wreck, said Ruston Police Public Information Officer Lt. Curtis Hawkins. Palmer was airlifted Wednesday morning.
Federal Express driver Anthony Sifford died Wednesday morning at the scene.
Sifford, 41, was a resident of Hillsville, Va. Palmer, 38, lived in Martinsville, Va.
Sifford was a member of the American Trucking Association’s 2007-08 America’s Road Team. The group is touted as one of professional truck drivers with more than 1 million accident-free miles who represent the trucking industry and deliver its highway safety message to the public, according to Road Safe America, a nonprofit highway safety organization.
The crash occurred when the 18-wheeler Sifford was driving east on I-20 around the western Ruston city limits struck a slow-moving eastbound 18-wheeler from behind as he changed lanes, according to preliminary Ruston police reports.
Hawkins said the slow-moving truck, a rig with TARA Wrecker Inc. of Jonesboro, Ga., driven by 35-year-old Pete Francis, was carrying two large generators used in Hurricane Ike relief efforts.
“The 18-wheeler that was changing lanes burst into flames upon impact,” Hawkins said.
He said some kind of mechanical trouble was suspected of causing the TARA 18-wheeler to travel slowly.
Traffic on I-20 was at a standstill in both lanes until about 11 a.m. Eastbound traffic remained blocked for the better portion of the day, reopening around 5 p.m. once cleanup crews cleared debris, Hawkins said. State Police issued Francis four citations in the crash for log book violations and operating a commercial vehicle in violation of a federal 14-hour driving rule. State Police Public Information Officer Mark Dennis said the log showed Francis had been driving about 15 minutes over that federal guideline when the crash occurred.
Along with Ruston Police, the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office and State Police responded to the wreck, Hawkins said. Louisiana Tech Police helped direct diverted traffic. Ruston Fire, Lincoln Parish Fire and the HazMat unit also responded.
Alcohol is not suspected to be a factor in the accident, and Ruston police are working on an accident recreation and report.
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