Truck plummets off bluff, killing driver

A dump truck filled with hot asphalt for paving a driveway, plummeted over 98-feet off a bluff, claiming the life of the driver, according to Pikeville Volunteer Fire Chief Paul Swafford. The heat from the asphalt, coupled with the extreme heat index on Tuesday, June 27 caused three rescue personnel to fall out while working to retrieve the body, noted the chief.

Ethan Walls and his brother had started a trucking company just a few weeks prior, according to the family. He leaves behind his wife, Rebecca Brown Walls and their two sons, Koben and Max. A GoFundMe that was set up to help the family, raised over $10,000 in just a few days.

For more see the July 6 issue of The Bledsonian Banner.

Photos provided by Piney Fire Department and the Walls family.