Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Tanker spill prompts evacuation

A gas truck released more than 1,000 gallons of gas after an accident on Highway 371 left the driver of the tanker truck dead at the scene. The accident occurred shortly after noon on Feb. 24 and area residents were evacuated due to fumes and the possibility of an explosion.

Patrick D. Sloan, 34, of Shreveport, La., was the driver of the truck. Sloan was pronounced dead at the scene, according to information from the Arkansas State Police.

Nevada County Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Cross said there was no indication of the cause of the wreck.

It was a relatively straight area and it looked like he just veered off the road, Cross said in a telephone interview Monday.

Nevada County Sheriff Bobby Carlton said county deputy Robert Henninger was the first on the scene and that Henninger reported the driver was lying in gasoline when the officer arrived. Carlton said there was no indication that the driver was alive at that point.

Cross said it took rescue workers several hours to remove Sloan from the wreck due to the possibility of an explosion. He said the gasoline on the ground could easily have ignited. That possibility coupled with the fumes from the gas caused the evacuation of area residents, Carlton said.

Cross said the truck was carrying a total load of some 8,700 gallons of gasoline. He said something more than 1,000 gallons of gas spilled onto the ground during the accident, prompting hazardous materials crews to work for several hours on remediation to pick up as much of the spill as possible.

Officers closed Highway 371 about one mile north of the Nevada County Line for several hours while a hazardous materials team worked to drain the tank. Cross said local fire department volunteers were to be commended for their willingness to remain in the dangerous situation.