Two local men were injured when their pickup truck left the road and
struck a tree near Cotton Patch on State Highway 38 early Monday.
Woodruff County Deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly
after midnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc, and Billy Ray
Wallis, 38, of Little Rock , were returning to Des Arc after a
frog-catching trip. On an overcast Sunday night, Poole 's pickup truck
headlights malfunctioned. The two men concluded that the headlight
fuse on the older-model truck had burned out. As a replacement fuse
was not available, Wallis noticed that the 22 caliber bullets from his
pistol fitted perfectly into the fuse box next to the steering-wheel
column. Upon inserting the bullet the headlights again began to
operate properly, and the two men proceeded on east bound toward the
White River Bridge .
After traveling approximately 20 miles, and just before crossing the
river, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged and struck Poole
in the testicles. The vehicle swerved sharply right, exited the
pavement, and struck a tree. Poole suffered only minor cuts and
abrasions from the accident but will require extensive surgery to
repair the damage to his testicles, which will never again operate as
intended. Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and
released. "Thank God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his
balls off, or we might be dead," stated Wallis.
"I've been a trooper for 10 years in this part of the world, but this
is a first for me. I can't believe that those two would admit how this
accident happened," said Deputy Snyder.
Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia ( Poole 's wife) asked how
many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the truck?