Fiery truck crash kills driver near Willisville

A 55-year-old Franklin man died in the fiery crash of a propane truck and coal hauling truck 3 1/2 miles north of Willisville Tuesday afternoon. The man is identified as Mickey E. Clayton, 55.

Illinois State Police at Du Quoin say Clayton died after his truck carrying propane rear-ended a coal truck while it was making a left-hand turn onto Knight Hawk Coal Co. property and caught fire. The accident happened at 2:20 p.m. on County Line Road near Black Stump Road.

The driver of the semi-tractor trailer coal hauling truck was identified as Randy E. Edwards, 48, of Pinckneyville. Edwards was not injured.

"The accident did not involve employees of Knight Hawk Coal," a company statement said. "The driver of one of the trucks was employed by Beelman Trucking and was contracted to haul material to our property. We have no information about the driver of the other truck. We've learned from news reports there was a fatality and extend our sympathies to the family of those affected."

The accident and fire closed County Line Road and caused a power failure at the nearby Knight Hawk Coal Co. Prairie Eagle Mine. Firemen from nearby communities assisted at the scene.

The initial fire was knocked down in about 45 minutes. Tires on the truck and coal continued to burn. Firemen noticed a trail of flames crawling across the ground, apparently from a fuel or propane leak. Shortly thereafter, the propane tank exploded, shooting flames over 100 feet into the air. By then, firefighters had taken cover.

Second shift miners at Prairie Eagle were sent home, but the third shift worked after power was restored.

Clayton was driving a blue 2007 Freight-liner with a propane tank trailer for Specialty Transport Inc. of Waverly. Edwards was driving a red 2007 Freight-liner pulling a dump trailer for Beelman Truck Co. of East St. Louis. The investigation continues.