A UTV rollover accident in Searcy County has claimed the life of a 15-year-old foreign exchange student at Marshall High School. The victim in the crash and the driver of the vehicle has been identified as Sanad Jeries Alrabadi of Jordan.
In a report released to KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot news Thursday, authorities say the accident occurred on the afternoon of April 30 on Star Mountain Road, just past Ivory Trail, in the Welcome Home area of Searcy County.
First responders were on the scene administering medical attention to Alrabadi when law enforcement arrived. A male juvenile passenger in the side-by-side was transported by air ambulance to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. Details on his injuries or his condition were not available. The unidentified juvenile was also a foreign exchange student at Marshall.
A couple driving on Star Mountain Road reported a young boy running up to their vehicle saying he needed help. When they arrived at the crash scene, they found the second youth on his side out of the UTV.
During the investigation, it was determined the UTV Alrabadi was driving left the roadway and struck two trees, ejecting him and his passenger.
The owner of the vehicle told law enforcement he had not given the juveniles permission to drive the UTV, saying they left without his knowledge.
Alrabadi was a member of the Marshall High School basketball and baseball teams.
To honor his life, a lantern send-off was held Wednesday evening at the new city pond near the Marshall square.
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