A weekend two-vehicle crash resulted in injuries to a minor and the drunken driving arrest of a Baxter County man. According to the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, 8-year-old Josiah Madden of Calico Rock was transported Saturday evening by private vehicle to Baxter Regional Medical Center from the scene on County Road 57, and 24-year-old Christopher Robinson of Mountain Home was booked into the Baxter County Detention Center on counts of driving while intoxicated and careless or prohibited driving.
The accident occurred as Madden’s mother, 43-year-old Jennifer Madden, was westbound in her truck near the intersection of County Road 56. She reported two vehicles were traveling east on County Road 57, with the second one, operated by Robinson, moving into the westbound lane appearing to attempting to pass the first vehicle. Jennifer Madden stated she swerved to the right attempting to avoid a collision, but the driver’s side of Robinson’s truck hit the driver’s side of her vehicle. The impact reportedly spun Jennifer Madden’s truck around, sending it backward into the adjacent ditch where it hit and spun again before coming to rest in the ditch facing west. Robinson’s truck reportedly continued eastbound another 113 feet before the driver’s side rear wheel separated from the vehicle. The truck traveled another 406 feet before coming to rest.
Robinson said both vehicles were crowding the center line when they hit. He admitted to consuming alcohol nearly two hours prior to the accident. He was given a portable blood alcohol field sobriety test, registering at .11. Robinson registered at .10 on a second test at the Baxter County Detention Center. The legal limit is .08.
While no injuries were reported at the time of the accident, Jennifer Madden called the sheriff’s office just before midnight and said it felt like her son’s neck popped after they left the scene, and he later complained about a headache. She transported Josiah to BRMC where he was examined and later discharged. Jennifer Madden’s other two passengers, 24-year-old Dustin Small of Mountain Home and 10-year-old Carissa Madden of Calico Rock, were both uninjured in the 9:15 p.m. accident.
Damage to Robinson’s truck was estimated at $7,000, and the truck driven by Jennifer Madden had estimated damage of $3,000.
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