By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – Speed and driver impairment are believed to have been factors in a single-vehicle crash on Tuesday, Feb. 18, in which the driver was ejected from a truck after rolling several times.
According to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office report, deputies were dispatched at about 4:09 p.m. to the area of W. Palmer Lane and N. Powerhouse Lane regarding a truck flipped over in a farm field. Upon arrival, authorities located the driver on the ground with apparent injuries to his legs and a passenger who didn’t appear to be injured.
According to the passenger’s statements, they had been drinking at an acquaintance’s residence before getting into the truck to leave. He said they were on Palmer Lane but were going too fast for the road, and the vehicle rolled multiple times. The farm field showed several divots from the truck rolling multiple times. The truck eventually stopped rolling and was found on its side with the passenger’s side on the ground.
The acquaintance confirmed the men had been drinking, and evidence located at the scene, including a cold Coors Light beer lying in the dirt, also corroborated the passenger’s version of events.
The driver, identified as Blake Alexander Dybdahl, 31, of Pima, allegedly admitted to drinking before driving while speaking to an Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper. He said he had just recently purchased the 2004 Ford F-250 pickup. Dybdahl was treated at the scene by Lifeline Ambulance paramedics and then transported to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center. Afterward, he was flown out for further treatment elsewhere.
While Dybdahl was at MGRMC, medical staff obtained vials of his blood. The GCSO submitted a search warrant for Dybdahl’s blood for DUI testing purposes. Potential charges, including DUI, are pending the blood test analysis.
