Two dead in Ohatchee tractor trailer crash identified
Officials have released the names of the two people who died in an accident in Ohatchee this morning. The driver, John Mauk, 59, and his daughter, Samantha Mauk, 19, both of Bridgeport were killed when the tractor trailer truck they were riding in struck a utility trailer and ran off a bridge on Alabama 77 into Tallasehatchee Creek near Boiling Springs, according to Calhoun County Coroner Patrick Brown. Brown said the semi-truck was empty as it headed south on Alabama 77 on its way to pick up a load in Sylacauga. The details of the accident were still under investigation Friday, but Brown said the tractor trailer somehow hit a trailer being towed northbound by a pickup truck. The tractor trailer crossed the center line, broke the guard rail and plunged 40 feet down into Tallasehatchee Creek. |
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According to Brown, the driver of the pickup and a passerby climbed down to the water, dove in and pulled the victims from the truck. Brown said a pending autopsy would determine the victims' cause of death. The driver of the pickup was not injured, but the passerby who dove into the water was treated for a cut on his foot, according to Brown. Dispatchers at the Calhoun County 911 call center said the first emergency calls came into the center around 10:30 a.m. The reports indicated the trucks went over the edge of the bridge just south of the intersection of Hart's Ferry Road and Alabama 77. This evening Hazardous Materials teams from the EMA and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management were working to clean up the fuel and oil spilled into the water. EMA officials said Alabama 77 is still closed but should reopen by 6 p.m. |
