WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — A West Memphis, Arkansas firefighter/EMT is facing serious charges after a deadly crash on I-55.
Arkansas State Police say 32-year-old Christopher Erby slammed into a trailer being pulled by a Ford around 2 a.m. Friday morning.
An initial crash report says Erby was driving north on I-55 near the Keiser exit when he veered across the center line and struck that trailer. The impact sent both vehicles into a ditch, where the Ford overturned.
A passenger in the backseat didn’t survive the crash. She’s been identified as 44-year-old Texas resident Cindy Cline. Two others in the vehicle were rushed to Regional One Health Medical Center in Memphis.
Erby was off duty at the time and, according to investigators, officers who responded to the crash suspect he may have been driving drunk. He’s currently charged with careless driving and refusing to take a blood alcohol test, which is a criminal offense in Arkansas.
West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon says Erby was placed on administrative leave and will be fired if the allegations of drunk driving are true.
“Our fire and police are held to a higher standard,” McClendon said, “Because I mean, my firefighters and police officers come here to save lives and set an example for people here in our community or wherever they may be at.”
Erby’s been with the fire department since 2018. McClendon says he never expected Erby to be accused of anything like this.
We’re told Erby bonded out of jail sometime during the day Friday, but authorities couldn’t give WREG an exact address for him.