The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident Oct. 30, has been charged with driving while intoxicated and reckless driving after an accident on lower Mountain St. that caused an estimated $250,000 worth of damage and left some people without power until the following morning.
According to a Eureka Springs Police Department report, Joshua A. Wilson of Eureka Springs, was injured and taken to Eureka Springs Hospital after an incident involving his 2009 Black GMC Sierra pickup truck at 9:15 p.m. A passenger described as his girlfriend, Noelle E. Finley of Denton, Texas, was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Springfield, Mo.
Officer Kyle Shelby reported that his investigation of the scene indicated there was substantial damage from the curve at Mountain Street all the way down the embankment to North Main St.
The report said the GMC hit a guardrail as it came missed the curve at the bottom of Mountain St. and destroyed a few small trees. While the truck had descended Mountain at a rapid speed, there was no indication of the truck braking when clearly leaving the roadway while colliding with the guardrail and becoming airborne. The truck collided with SWEPCO utility pole #102 breaking it in half, and came to rest in front of Gadd Spring on Main St.
The front end of the truck was demolished and the front passenger’s quarter panel was smashed. The rear end of the vehicle hit so hard that the taillights were found across the street. There was a fence smashed and multiple other items that had been hit. Wilson also struck a van parked near Chelsea’s.
A witness quoted in the police report said the accident happened after an argument between Wilson and Finley at Mountain and Spring Sts. The witness described Wilson as “a bit aggressive and drunk as hell.” Witnesses said Finley tried to calm Wilson, convince him they needed to get picked up, and tried unsuccessfully to get the keys away from Wilson. The witnesses said they also attempted to get him out of the vehicle telling him he was too drunk to drive, even threatening to pepper spray him, but the advice was ignored.