Photo: Daniel Robert Adams
Further details released regarding Wednesday’s fatal crash in Baxter County point to an extensive high-speed pursuit with multiple encounters between a pickup truck and a small car it was recklessly pursuing. The encounters include a collision before the fatal crash.
The crash on Old Arkana Road claimed the life of the driver of the car, 30-year-old Phillip Patrick Laurie of Mountain Home. Laurie’s passenger, 24-year-old Danielle Ann Lamphear of Norfork, sustained serious injuries in the crash and was taken to a trauma center out of the area.
Taken into custody at the scene of the crash and charged with six felonies, including first-degree murder, was the driver of the truck, 36-year-old Daniel Robert Adams of rural Mountain Home.
Investigators determined via interviews with witnesses, a post Miranda interview with Adams and from physical evidence taken from the crime scene there were multiple encounters between the vehicles.
Pursuit begins
The incident began at Adams’ residence that he had shared with Lamphear until recently. According to Adams, the couple had broken up, and her belongings were packed for her to move out of the residence.
He said he was outside when Laurie and Lamphear pulled up in front of the residence. At some point, the trio departed, heading northbound on Old Arkana Road in the two vehicles.
First collision
At the point on old Arkana Road where the gravel ends and the pavement begins, it appears the two vehicles had their first collision. The affidavit notes Laurie’s car was pushed off the roadway by Adams’ truck. During the collision, the truck spun out and lost control, as it forced the car off the road.
Second encounter
Near Glade Hill Lane, tire marks indicate the car left the roadway on the right side, while the truck skidded sideways for about 200 feet before coming to rest off the side of the roadway.
It is believed this is the location where Lamphear advised a 911 operator the car was in the ditch.
According to neighbors in the area, they heard the vehicles approaching for some time before they arrived.
Another witness reported he and his grandchildren were traveling on Old Arkana Road and met the car and truck traveling at “an extremely high rate of speed.” He said it appeared the truck was pushing the car or following so closely it appeared to be touching it.
The man said when he first met the two vehicles, they were in his lane of traffic. He said he told his grandchildren to brace themselves, as he started to drive into the ditch to avoid a collision. However, the two vehicles swerved back into their respective lane. This incident occurred about 1 mile from the fatal crash scene.
Frantic call for emergency help
The report notes 911 dispatch received a frantic call from Lamphear just after 3:30 Wednesday afternoon saying her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Adams, had “smashed into my car, as I was driving down the road.”
As the call continued, she began to scream hysterically. At some points, she was screaming so loudly the microphone on the phone was overpowered and would “clip out.”
During the screaming, she said, “We are in a ditch.” Then, she said to someone in the car to go. She then said to the dispatcher, “I can’t get away from him.”
Fatal collision
The next location where the car and truck collided was near 465 Old Arkana Road. When the two collided again at a high rate of speed, the impact caused both vehicles to “violently cross the road before leaving the roadway.”
The truck reportedly struck the car from the rear. It then went into the ditch, where it hit an embankment causing it to flip onto its side before coming to rest on its wheels.
The car careened through a ditch where it continued until it hit the edge of a driveway causing it to ramp into the air. While in the air, it struck a tree causing the fatal injuries to Laurie and the serious ones to Lamphear.
Arrest and charging
The report notes Adams’ driver’s license was suspended at the time of the fatal accident.
Adams was booked into the Baxter County Detention Center and then transferred to the Boone County Detention Center because the mother of the man killed in the crash is a Baxter County Detention Center employee.
Bond for Adams was set at $500,000, and he will appear in circuit court later this month.
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