PCI’s assistant AG succumbs to injuries
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
One of the top judicial officials for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, a passenger in an SUV that was hit head-on by a jack-knifed log truck on Monday, September 24, succumbed less than an hour after the wreck to injuries that were initially not thought to be life threatening.
Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks confirmed Monday afternoon that Brad Stinson (age not provided), who is listed on the PCI website as the tribe’s Assistant Attorney General and a Tribal Prosecutor, died shortly after being taken by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital.
The fatal collision occurred around 12:45 p.m., near the junction of Jack Springs Road and McKenzie Drive, inside Atmore’s city limits and less than two miles from downtown.
Official APD reports have not yet been completed, but the initial stages of the investigation reveal that the logging rig, owned by D & P Cole Logging of Mt. Vernon, was heading north when it went into a skid.
According to emergency personnel on the scene, the semi slid into the southbound lane, where its cab slammed into the Equinox, ripping the hood assembly from the truck while crumpling the SUV’s engine compartment and shattering its windshield.
The impact knocked the SUV onto its passenger side, and Atmore Fire Department personnel had to use extrication tools to remove the victims from the mangled vehicle.
After the cab impacted the Equinox, the semi’s trailer apparently continued its slide and hit a Chevy Silverado that had been following the SUV. Neither the log truck driver nor the driver of the Silverado, neither of whom have been identified by police, were injured, and damage to the pickup was minimal.
Stinson — an Atmore resident whose wife, Lori Madison Stinson, is listed as the tribe’s Attorney General — was reportedly talking with emergency medical personnel at the scene before being taken by ambulance to the hospital with what were thought to be non-life threatening injuries. He reportedly died less than an hour later while being treated in ACH’s emergency department.
Brooks said Tuesday that the tractor-trailer driver told police he lost control of his rig when another vehicle in front of him made a sudden stop or slow-down.
“It’s still under investigation, but preliminary reports are that there was a car in front of (the semi) that had braked or made a sudden stop,” the police chief said. “(The semi driver) braked too hard, and the trailer jack-knifed and forced the cab into the other lane.”
At least two other people inside the Equinox were also taken by ambulance to the local hospital. Their respective medical conditions were unknown at Tuesday’s press deadline.
“I’m not sure exactly how many people were in the Equinox, but there were either three or four people that were taken to the hospital,” said Brooks, who promised more details later this week, when the accident report is finalized.
The following statement was released Tuesday morning by Stephanie A. Bryan, Tribal Chair/CEO, Poarch Band of Creek Indians: “We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Brad Stinson, Assistant Attorney General, Poarch Creek Indians, our dear friend, family and colleague. Brad was a hardworking, passionate, and loyal employee of the Tribe for many years. He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
News photos by Don Fletcher