A man was killed instantly after his van crossed the center line and crashed into another vehicle on Hwy 52 Tuesday afternoon.
William Ray Archer Jr., a 57-year-old resident of Red Boiling Springs, was driving a Ford Winstar van east towards Lafayette when the accident occurred. He crossed the center line some two miles east of the Macon/Sumner line, near Westside Elementary School.
Brent Hall, age 29, was driving a Chevy Avalanche west on Hwy 52 when the van entered his lane. Hall pulled as far as he could off the road to avoid impact with the van, but was unsuccessful.
THP Trooper Ed Crouch, who took the accident report, said that there were no skid marks to indicate that the van driver attempted to use his brake. He was uncertain if the driver was distracted, asleep at the wheel or unconscious for some other reason. Another witness said that a car driving in front of Hall pulled off the road into the grass to avoid impact with the van, and was successful.
Macon County Sheriff Department, Lafayette Police Department, Lafayette Fire Department, Macon County EMS, an extraction unit, and Macon Rescue Squad all responded to the scene. The accident occurred at about 2:30 pm, and it was nearly 4:oo pm by the time the body of the van driver had been extracted from the wreck.
There was a small dog in the van with the deceased driver, and Macon County Animal Control was called to take it from the scene.
Brent Hall, a Hartsville resident, was taken by ambulance to Sumner County Regional Medical Center with minor injuries.

















