Truck Dislodges Tombstones

Dr. Kerry Bunn, pastor at Monticello Baptist Church, points to some of the damage that was incurred Tuesday evening when a truck went out of control and plowed through the century old church cemetery.

According to eye-witness reports, a truck bearing the Aramark logo was stopped at the stop sign on Church Street, headed north towards the Baptist Church parking lot. Someone at the BP station noticed that the driver appeared to be unconscious.

Before they could react, the driver’s foot apparently hit the gas pedal, and the truck crossed Greene Street and entered the cemetery on the east side. The truck proceeded to run through the cemetery, dislodging and breaking tombstones before exiting the west side of the cemetery, landing on a Ford Expedition parked there.

Roy Hulsey of Pete’s BP said you could tell the man’s foot was on the accelerator by the sounds made as it plowed through the cemetery. It was like something out of a movie, he said. There were tombstones flying the truck appeared to go airborne, and it was a sight to see. And, it happened really fast, he said.

Once the truck exited the cemetery and hit the Expedition, it proceeded to enter Greene Street, with its momentum slowing. At that time, Stevie Tillman, an employee at the BP ran alongside the truck, jumped in and stepped on the brake. He then put the truck in park, turned the ignition off, and called the police.

According to the report from the Monticello Police Department, the truck was a 1997 Chevrolet 3500 driven by William Thomas Akins of Gainesville. Speculation is that Mr. Akins had some sort of health disorder to cause the accident. The police report said he was uninjured in the accident.