Flomaton community in Escambia County is mourning the death of James R. Ward, a 72-year-old local man who was fatally injured in a two-vehicle collision on Alabama 113.
According to information released by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and reported by NBC 15, the crash occurred at approximately 1:50 p.m. Thursday, August 6, 2026, near the 11-mile marker on Alabama 113, roughly 11 miles north of the Flomaton city limits.
Ward was operating a 1977 John Deere 4430 tractor that was towing a hay baler when the tractor was struck from behind by a 2014 Kenworth tractor-trailer, authorities said.
The tractor-trailer was being driven by 43-year-old Daniel L. Wilson of Quincy, Florida. Ward suffered fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Wilson was also injured in the crash and was transported to D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton for medical treatment.
News of Ward’s death has brought sadness to Flomaton and surrounding communities, where his sudden passing has left family, friends and others grieving.
For those closest to Ward, the circumstances of the crash will inevitably remain part of the story surrounding his death, but they do not define the life he lived. His loss represents the sudden disappearance of someone whose presence was part of the community and the daily lives of the people who knew him.
Fatal collisions on rural highways can have a profound impact on families, particularly when a loved one is lost without warning. Ward’s family and friends are now facing that difficult reality while trying to process the circumstances of his death.
The crash also highlights the potential dangers created when agricultural machinery and large commercial vehicles share rural highways. Alabama 113 serves as an important route through the area, and the collision occurred on a section of roadway where traffic involving both farm equipment and commercial vehicles is common.
Investigators are working to establish the circumstances that led to the rear-end collision. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is handling the official investigation, and additional information may be released as authorities continue examining the crash.
At this stage, motorists and members of the public are urged not to draw conclusions beyond the facts confirmed by investigators.
For Ward’s family and friends, however, the investigation is only one part of a much more personal tragedy. They are now left to remember James for the life he lived, the relationships he built and the memories he created with the people who knew and cared for him.
His death has left a lasting void in the Flomaton community as loved ones come together to mourn a life that ended far too suddenly on an Alabama roadway.
