Horatio teen ID'd as wreck victim

Andrew Griffin
Andrew Griffin

A man who died in a one-vehicle accident Oct. 21 has been identified as Andrew Griffin, 18, of Horatio, Ark.

The identity was confirmed by DNA tests, said Little River County Sheriff Bobby Walraven.

Griffin was driving a 2008 Chev-rolet truck about 4 a.m. Oct. 21 when the pickup became jammed on a fence post and stumps on Arkansas Highway 32, east of Ashdown.

The person who reported the accident said the back wheels were spinning, Walraven said.

"The friction of the spinning wheels caused the fire. The fire was due to dry conditions. Pine straw and brush caught fire while the back tires were spinning. The wood and friction and heating ignited the area," said Bowie County Deputy Fire Marshal Scottie Taylor, who assisted in the investigation.

Griffin, who lived at Yarbrough Landing near Millwood Lake, died of smoke inhalation, according to the autopsy report. The death was ruled accidental, so the investigation has been closed, Walraven said.

The accident was also investigated by Arkansas State Police investigators John Rhone and J.D. Jones.

"It's another tragedy," Walraven said.

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