Drivers dead in fiery I-30 crash identified

GUM SPRINGS, Arkansas — Two fatalities have been confirmed in a major crash involving two 18-wheelers on Interstate 30 in Clark County, at the Gum Springs exit, westbound lane.

An eastbound trucker crossed the median near the 69 mile marker and struck another driver head-on, Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson said.

A preliminary fatal crash summary released by Arkansas State Police identified the eastbound driver as Daud Mohamed Farah, 51, of Minneapolis.

The westbound driver was a Dallas resident, 35-year-old Dylan Clay Self Jr.

The report says both vehicles became engulfed in flames.

Both drivers perished in the collision.

The crash happened just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11.

Multiple explosions were reported following the crash. One resident who lives about 3 miles north of the accident said she heard “very loud booms” around the time of the crash. Another resident said she both heard and felt the explosions from her home near the interstate offramp.

The cause of the blasts was likely the exploding tires of a burning 18-wheeler.

Multiple fire agencies responded to the scene. For several minutes the blaze sent up thick plumes of smoke that blocked visibility, forcing all lanes to shut down for about 30 minutes.

At about 1:20 PM the eastbound lane was reopened. A traffic camera showed an 18-wheeler on its side, blocking the highway, and what appeared to be the burned remains of another 18-wheeler lying parallel to it.

Despite what officials initially reported, neither truck was hauling hazardous waste. A hazmat team from Little Rock en route to the scene was called off before it arrived, the sheriff said. A Veolia spokesperson confirmed neither load was en route to or from the company’s hazardous waste treatment facility; the Gum Springs plant was closed in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.

Interstate traffic remained snarled at 3 p.m. An iDriveArkansas map showed the westbound lanes at a standstill from the crash to the Friendship exit, about 15 miles north of the scene. Diverted interstate traffic also clogged US Highway 67 from Arkadelphia to a few miles north Caddo Valley.

By 3:30 p.m., tow trucks were beginning the process of removing the wreckage from the roadway. The sheriff did not have an estimate on how long the road would remain shut.

The westbound lane was reopened by 4:30 p.m. as crews had cleared the wreckage from the roadway and were hauling large piles of debris away from the shoulder.