Henry Netzel Killed in Truck Overturn Accident on Highway 72 in Centerton, AR
Centerton, AR — January 21, 2023, 70-year-old Henry Netzel died in a single-vehicle dump truck accident on West Highway 72 in Benton County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 12:30 p.m. on Highway 72 near Versailles Boulevard. Preliminary investigation suggests Netzel was driving a Mack dump truck west on the highway, possibly at a high rate of speed, when he entered the S curves near Versailles and allegedly lost control. The truck overturned on its driver's side.
Henry Netzel was fatally injured in the crash.
No further information is currently available.
One thing I've found over the years is that folks tend to quickly blame almost any kind of single-vehicle accident on the operator. While I'm not claiming to know more than police do about what happened in Centerton, for example, it's a little troubling to me to see allegations of high speeds already being put into the narrative. Were there obvious, unmistakable signs of that at the scene, or did investigators just reach a plausible conclusion based on how the truck overturned in a curve? If the latter, what steps will be taken to verify it?
As always, I discourage reaching any final conclusions before more investigation is done. Many things can send a truck off-course—driver medical emergencies, blown tires, mechanical failures or defects, or even other vehicles running it off the road, for example—and each of them needs careful consideration to be sure all the facts are known. The people who lost a loved on in Benton County deserve no less than the whole story, so I hope authorities will take the time and care needed to get it for them.
