The Benton County road worker who was hospitalized after the grader he was driving left the roadway has been released from the hospital and is in good health, officials said Thursday.
Stanley Drain, 51, was traveling eastbound on Leetown Road on Wednesday night when he noticed a car coming up on the road grader. Officials said it appears the car may have crowded Drain’s vehicle, leading to the grader’s tire slipping off the side of the road.
Drain overcorrected to the left, driving off the other side of the road, down an embankment and crashing through two fences before coming to rest, according to a state police crash report.
The grader operator was transported to Mercy Medical Center in Rogers with unspecified injuries. He was listed in “good” condition Wednesday night and was later released from the hospital. As of Thursday afternoon, Drain was resting and recovering at home, officials said.
Snow and slush was on the ground at the time of the crash, police said. Police are still investigating the wreck. No one else was in the vehicle at the time.
Benton County Road Department workers are assessing the damage to the grader to determine what fixes are needed on the vehicle. The department has 16 road graders.
County road crews have been working hard to clear roads during the snow and sleet of the last several days, with some employees working 12-hour shifts. Road department administrators said crews have not been overly-tired, though, and that long shifts had nothing to do with Drain’s crash.
