Collision took the life of Clifton man Charles McCargish
By Jon Johnson
jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com
MORENCI — Heavy dust, reduced visibility, and sudden deceleration led to a fatal collision between two massive haul trucks at Freeport-McMoRan’s Morenci Mine on July 6, according to incident reports released by the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim, 56-year-old Clifton resident Charles McCargish, sustained fatal injuries when his haul truck rear-ended another loaded haul truck traveling ahead of him on a mine haul road.
According to investigative reports, emergency responders were called to the property near the Ammo Gate around 9:45 a.m.
Investigators determined that Haul Truck 547 was headed downhill toward a dump site when it encountered a road grader and another haul truck coming from the opposite direction. Because of a dirt windrow along the right side of the road, Haul Truck 547 slowed from around 31 mph to under 10 mph and veered slightly left to allow passing room, activating its rear-facing hazard lights. (Drivers were in these vehicles; they are just not being named.)
McCargish, operating Haul Truck 642, was trailing 75 to 100 feet behind Haul Truck 547 in heavy dust. Event data recorders and surveillance footage revealed that as Haul Truck 547 slowed, McCargish was traveling at approximately 35 mph through the dust plume.
In-cab video footage showed McCargish reacting with surprise in the final seconds before impact, quickly turning the steering wheel to the left (directing the vehicle to the right) in an attempt to swerve around the lead truck. The front left operator’s cab of McCargish’s haul truck struck the rear right corner of Haul Truck 547’s dump bed at approximately 23 mph.
The impact catastrophically crushed McCargish’s operator cab inward and rearward toward his dump bed. Morenci Fire Department extrication crews and Freeport-McMoRan’s Rope Rescue Team worked for several hours to free him from the wreckage. He was pronounced dead at the scene from severe trauma. The driver of Haul Truck 547 was uninjured.
Surveillance video and witness interviews confirmed that dense dust kicked up by traveling haul trucks heavily obscured visibility around the bend moments before the collision.
“Dust and reduced visibility were significant factors present at the time of the incident,” Sgt. Crandell noted in the final investigative summary, adding that neither driver experienced a medical emergency prior to the crash.
