Man dies in single vehicle accident

 An Arizona man lost his life east of Clarendon in a one-vehicle accident Saturday afternoon, March 29.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Kelly Hill said 28-year-old Brian Dyson was eastbound on US 287 just more than a mile from the city when the 2001 ¾-ton Chevrolet pickup he was driving went off the road. Dyson was towing a Chevy S-10 pickup at the time.

Dyson travelled into the center median and apparently steered to the left to avoid trees and then the pickup began to roll multiple times. Hill said the investigation believes Dyson was ejected from the vehicle during the first roll.

A passenger, 29-year-old Virginia Hillyer, was partially ejected and was able to climb free of the vehicle when it came to rest blocking both westbound lanes of US 287. The S-10 pickup landed north of the westbound lanes.

Moments earlier, Trooper Hill had just passed Dyson’s pickup as Hill came into Clarendon from the east. Donley County Deputy Sonny Morasco, traveling behind Hill, came up on the accident right after it occurred.

Donley County Justice of the Peace Denise Bertrand pronounced Dyson dead at the scene at 5:18 p.m.

Hillyer was airlifted to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Hillyer told officers that a crosswind caused the accident. Dyson’s mother also told DPS that she had talked to him earlier and he had said he was tired of driving in the wind.

Neither Dyson nor Hillyer were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.