Accidents claim one life, hurt three

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Hiram Mills, 43, of Greenville died from injuries he sustained in an accident Saturday night when the car he was driving ran off the road and stuck a tree.

Alabama State Troopers office representatives said the accident occurred on Dogwood Trail about three miles south of Greenville at 6:55 p.m., Saturday. The troopers said Mills was ejected from his vehicle – he was not wearing a seatbelt – and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three more accidents occurred this week that involved overturned vehicles, but the drivers sustained only minor injuries.

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The first one occurred on Highway 263, just north of Highway 185 on Monday.

Lt. Gary Martin, Greenville Police Department spokesman, said a log truck driven by Chad McCullough of Highland Home, an employee of T&M Trucking of Honoraville, overturned into a ditch as he was driving southbound.

McCullough told police that his trailer tire went flat as he entered a curve, causing the truck to overturn.

McCullough was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The second accident occurred Tuesday on Interstate 65 at the rest area, just north of Greenville. Martin said another 18-wheeler overturned as truck driver Willie Johnson of Bessemer was driving southbound on the interstate and attempted to make the turn into the rest area. His flatbed tractor-trailer rig overturned, spilling his load of pipe onto the interstate.

Johnson was transported to Stabler Hospital, where he received sutures for several cuts, then released.

Earl Hankins of Mobile was the victim in the third wreck, which occurred in front of the Phillips 66/Subway building on Fort Dale Road on Tuesday. A green Ford F150 pickup struck Hankins’ red Dodge Dakota as it tried to pull off Interstate Drive and turn into the Phillips 66 gas station.

&uot;I saw him start out into my lane and swerved to try to miss him,&uot; Hankins said. &uot;But he clipped me in the rear, and my truck just went over.&uot;

Hankins was treated by Greenville Fire Department paramedics at the scene and released.

All four accidents are still under investigation at this time.