Poinsett County, AR — December 16, 2023, Jon Cody Reeves was killed and another was injured following a van accident at around 6:23 a.m. on Highway 14.
According to a crash summary from the Arkansas Department of Public Safety, the incident happened out in rural Poinsett county. It appears that 28-year-old Jon Cody Reeves of Harrisburg was in a Chevy pickup going eastbound on the highway. Due to events unclear, an oncoming Ford Econoline van reportedly crossed the center line and collided with Reeves’s vehicle.
Due to the collision, Reeves sustained fatal injuries. The other driver was injured. It doesn’t appear there were others involved, and the exact cause of the crash is not clear right now.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
This early in the morning, things like distraction and fatigue, especially, are the most likely culprits. But it wouldn’t do any good to jump to conclusions. Not only could this be an unusual situation that even the van driver couldn’t avoid, but simply knowing all the facts is crucial even when it’s clear someone made a mistake.
Let me give an example of what I mean. I had this case a while back involving a commercial vehicle where the driver had been working for over 20 hours straight, and it led to a serious crash. That alone was reckless of the driver, but we wanted to know the whole story. As it turned out, the driver’s employer essentially required the driver to work those ludicrous hours.
Evidence showed that company offered financial incentives to employees who got the most work done they could possibly do. That meant cutting corners, breaking rules, and otherwise taking whatever risks they could, and the company would not only turn a blind eye to the behavior but actively reward it. It was inevitable someone would get hurt, but the company was either too stupid to realize it or simply didn’t give a damn about the safety of others—even their own employees.
So why does all that matter? Well, in a situation like that, if all the blame just lands on the driver for the mistakes they made, then they’re held accountable. But the employer that made mistakes and fostered an environment which would eventually get people hurt would get off scot-free. By bringing the whole story to light, it allows for the additional steps of directly addressing a negligent company’s behavior so they can clean up their act before more people get hurt.
Right now, there’s no telling what all led to this accident. Preliminary accident summaries from the state police rarely tell the whole story. But the concern is whether or not they’re currently working behind the scenes to get that story. If not, important details the victim’s loved ones deserve to know could slip through the cracks unless measures are taken to pick up the slack.
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