LITTLE ROCK | Two local men were seriously injured when their pickup truck left the roadway and hit a tree near Cotton Plant. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc, and Billy Ray Wallis, 38, of Little Rock, were listed in serious condition at Baptist Medical Center following an automobile accident.
The accident occurred as the two men were returning to Des Arc after a frog-gigging trip when Poole's headlights malfunctioned. Poole and Wallis concluded that the headlight fuse on the older model pickup truck had burned out. Though a replacement fuse was not available, Wallis noticed that the .22 caliber bullet from his pistol could fit perfectly into the fuse box next to the steering wheel column.
Upon inserting the bullet, the headlights began operating properly and the two men proceeded on their way. After traveling for about 20 miles, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged and struck Poole in the right testicle. The vehicle swerved sharply to the right, striking a tree.
Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the accident but needed extensive surgery to repair the other wound. Wallis sustained only a broken clavicle, and was treated & released.
"Thank God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his nuts off, or we might both be dead!" Wallis said of the misfortune.
Note: This story originally appeared in an article published in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette published Oct 17, 1996; and in the Daily Nebraskan, published July 16, 2006.
Additional Reporting By: Arkansas Democrat Gazette; Daily Nebraskan; CGN News