A Hero Arises from Tragedy

As a legal assistant at Bailey and Oliver Law Firm, my days are spent assisting families and loved ones of victims of tragedy.  These people and their situations are never far from my mind.  When I happened upon the article of the fertilizer truck explosion, my heart immediately hurt for the driver, Randall McDougal, and everyone who cared about him. 

In the time since the explosion, stories about Mr. McDougal have begun to surface.  He was a father, a friend and he died a hero.  Randy (who was jokingly known as Billy Goat) called 911 as soon as he noticed the tires of his big rid were on fire, and then, seemingly without hesitation, he jumped back into the cab of the burning semi in order to drive to a more isolated location. 

Randall knew that he was essentially manning a bomb on wheels at that point, and he risked his life in hopes of saving others.  In looking at things from that perspective, Randy was successful.  His was the only life lost that day. 

Read the full story on the Arkansas Democrat Gazette website:

 https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2019/mar/28/blaze-sets-off-fertilizer-load-rig-driv-1/ 

Photo by Arkansas Democrat Gazette.  More photos are available at www.arkansasonline.com/328explosion.