Elderly man dies in wreck on U.S. Highway 80 East
Published 8:22 pm Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A collision occurred on U.S. Highway 80 East at Alabama Highway 219, killing one man and injuring another.
William Carson of Orrville died on the scene Wednesday morning after his white Oldsmobile 88 was struck by a 2009 Mobile Asphalt Company LLC dump truck driven by Allen Williams of Jackson.
Williams suffered injuries in the collision and was taken to Vaughan Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Carson, 72, was traveling on U.S. Highway 80 West when he attempted to turn left on Alabama Highway 219 and was struck by the dump truck.
“Apparently both vehicles had the green light,” Alabama State Trooper John Reese said. “The Carson vehicle may have failed to give right-of-way to the dump truck, causing the collision.”
The vehicles hit an Adopt-A-Highway sign before coming to a rest in a wet, grassy ditch on the right side of U.S. Highway 80 East, just to the side of Mega Satellite. Secretary Beth Baswell witnessed the event from the store parking lot.
“Just a loud crash,” Baswell said. “I turned around, and they hit each other again.”
Baswell said she ran inside the store to call 911. When she came back outside, Carson was barely breathing.
“The dump truck driver was pretty shaken,” she said.
Debris from the crash also hit another nearby car. However, Reese said the driver of that vehicle was not injured.