Preliminary Report On I-49 Crash Involving Waste Management Truck Released
Posted 9:02 am, June 16, 2016, by Zuzanna Sitek
LOWELL, AR (KFSM) — A Waste Management truck was involved in a deadly wreck on Interstate 49 Thursday morning (June 16).
The crash involving the truck and a passenger car happened in the northbound lanes near exit 78 in Lowell at 5 a.m., according to a preliminary crash report from Arkansas State Police.
According to the report, Samantha B. Wender, 33, of Springdale died in the wreck.
Wender was driving a Hyundai in the right lane when she lost control, over-corrected and struck the Waste Management truck that was driving in the left lane, the report states. Both vehicles ended up in the ditch.
The driver of the truck was not injured.
George Wheatley, a Waste Management representative for Arkansas, said the situation is heartbreaking.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to everyone affected and their families,” he said.
The company is working with Arkansas State Police during their investigation of the crash, Wheatley added.
“[We] would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to the first responders who attended and assisted at the scene,” he said.
When a WM driver is involved in a fatal wreck the company follows Department of Transportation guidelines that include testing the driver for alcohol and controlled substances, interviewing the driver and going over the driver’s schedule that week, according to Wheatley.
The company did not release the name of the truck driver.