Alabama Troopers Identify Flomaton Man Killed in Tractor, Log Truck Crash

Update: The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has confirmed the crash was fatal. The vehicles involved were a farm tractor towing a hay bailer and a log truck; the tractor operator was killed in the collision. Following the impact, the log truck came to rest in the wood line, and it was not immediately confirmed whether the truck driver was injured.

How the Crash Happened

A crash in Escambia County, Alabama, has closed a lane on State Highway 113.

According to a news release from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the right northbound lane of Alabama 113 near mile marker 12 is closed because of a two-vehicle crash that involved a commercial vehicle.

The crash happened just after 3 p.m. Thursday, ALEA said.

Officials said they are monitoring the crash scene and that the lane will remain closed for an “undetermined amount of time” while the investigation continues.

Victim Identified as Flomaton Farmer

Update, Aug. 12: Alabama State Troopers have identified the tractor operator killed in the crash as James R. Ward, 72, of Flomaton. ALEA Capt. Jeremy Burkett said Ward was driving a 1977 John Deere 4430 tractor towing a hay baler when it was struck from behind by a 2014 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Daniel L. Wilson, 43, of Quincy, Florida. Ward was pronounced dead at the scene; Wilson was injured and taken to D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton for treatment. Troopers continue to investigate the crash, which happened at approximately 1:50 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, on Alabama 113 near the 11-mile marker, about 11 miles north of Flomaton.

Ward was a graduate of Flomaton High School and Auburn University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education. “Mr. Ward loved farming and being out in the field, planting and harvesting his crops. He enjoyed it more when his two sons joined him,” his obituary states. “He loved tending to his cows and helping others.” Ward was a Sunday school teacher and deacon at Unity Baptist Church. His funeral was held Thursday.

Community Remembers James Ward

Update, Aug. 13: Friends and family are remembering Ward as a lifelong farmer whose family has worked the land in the Flomaton area for generations. Earnie White, who attended school with Ward for 12 years and graduated alongside him from Flomaton High School in 1972, said Ward came from a farming family that goes back multiple generations.

“I’ve known him most of my life,” White said. “He was born and raised here. His grandfather was a farmer, his daddy was a farmer and his children are still farmers.” White recalled that in school, Ward’s mother always packed his lunch and made cookies that he would share with classmates. “It’s a great loss, he was a great man,” White said.

Brewton attorney Broox Garrett Jr., who said he had known the Ward family for years, described Ward as “the salt of the earth.” “When he came to see you, you knew it would take a while because he loved to talk,” Garrett said. “He was a great guy.”

Ward’s sons, Jameson and Andrew, followed their father into farming and worked alongside him on the family farm.