A truck explosion killed a driver in South Arkansas Wednesday, left a 15-foot gouge in the road and closed highways all around the accident site.
A tanker truck carrying ammonium nitrate blew up on Highway 278 west of Camden, killing the driver, Randall McDougal, 63, and injuring three firefighters. The explosion was heard miles around and was even picked up on earthquake detectors.
By Friday, the highway was repaired and reopened to the public.
Truck explosion kills driver
McDougal was driving west from El Dorado to Texarkana when his commercial tanker truck caught fire and blew up. It was an explosion so loud that McDougal’s son heard it and called his father’s trucking company, Blann Trucking Company, sensing that something was wrong.
“I was just praying my daddy was OK, and that he would call or text me back like he always has,” McDougal’s son, Jason McDougal, said.
McDougal was just a few miles from home when he noticed smoke coming from the truck Wednesday morning. He called the fire department, and firefighters who responded to the scene evacuated residents in the area within a one-mile radius. They say they saw McDougal, who was attempting to put out the fire on his own before they arrived, go back to his truck before it blew up. The explosion blew out a fire truck’s windshield and knocked first responders to the ground.
The explosion, which occurred 30-40 minutes after McDougal called 911, was reportedly heard and felt for miles around. McDougal’s truck was carrying ammonium nitrate, a highly combustible compound used in fertilizer.
McDougal’s family has been shattered. His son said he lost a “hero.” Witnesses say that McDougal also helped others get out of harm’s way before the truck exploded.
State police believe the truck driver was Randall McDougal, 63, of El Dorado. He worked for Blann Trucking Company of Hampton. His friend and coworker shared this photo with me. He told me McDougal was married with one son. He said he loved his job. pic.twitter.com/MWeaAFWEjB
— Erika Ferrando THV11 (@ErikaFerrandoTV) March 27, 2019
“He was my world and my hero,” Jason McDougal said. “The man I idolized and wanted to be like since I was born is not in my life anymore.”
Explosion leaves crater in highway
The explosion left a huge 15-foot crater in the middle of Highway 278 and closed off surrounding roads. Traces of the tragedy were strewn all around in the remnants of McDougal’s truck. Police located McDougal’s remains, identified them and sent them to a crime lab.
“Remains of an individual suspected to be those of Randall McDougal, 63, of El Dorado, have been recovered from the site,” the police said in a press release dated March 27. “The Arkansas State Police has requested the human remains to be examined for positive identification by the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory.”
Crews worked to repair the highway, and by Friday the crater was gone, and Highway 278 opened up again.
The explosion also destroyed two police cars, blew in the windows of surrounding homes, ripped the tops off pine trees and injured three firefighters. It registered as a mini-earthquake on seismometers as far as 12 miles away. Arkansas Governor Lt. Gov Tim Griffin (R) expressed his condolences to everyone affected by the tragedy.
“My thoughts & prayers go out to all affected, especially the family of the victim killed in the tragic explosion near Camden,” he said in a Twitter post dated March 27. “Please keep our first responders in your prayers as they work to contain this incident.”
By the time McDougal’s son got to the scene, there was hardly a trace left of his father’s truck, except a corner piece, which he said he’ll cherish forever.
“This corner has his truck number,” he said. “I found it the day of and it will be very dear to me.”
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