(The following story by Carol Broeder appeared on the Arizona Range News website on June 7.)
WILLCOX, Ariz. — A Union Pacific employee, who died in a single-vehicle rollover along Highway 191 last Tuesday, did not have a commercial driver’s license as required by state law for the truck he was driving.
The driver, Arthur O. Mendoza, 49, of Tucson, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, Errol McDonald, 49, also of Tucson, was airlifted to University Medical Center where he was treated and released, said Officer Quentin G. Mehr, District 8 administrative officer, Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The accident occurred at about 12:55 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29, when the company truck Mendoza was driving, a 2000 Volvo, was traveling northbound and ran off the road to the right, Mehr said. Mendoza attempted to correct, going off to the left, and then went off to the right again, running through a right-of-way fence.
The truck rolled over on its top, where it came to rest, he said.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Both drivers were wearing seatbelts, Mehr said.
Officials with the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles (MVD) confirmed Tuesday that Mendoza did not possess a commercial driver’s license (CDL), required by state law for the truck he was driving.
“Yes, that does require a commercial license, but we cannot comment beyond that right now,” Gene Hinkle, spokesman for Union Pacific in Omaha, said Wednesday morning. “We are investigating it right now. Until that investigation is complete, we cannot comment any further.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and co-workers of our fellow UP employees involved in this horrible accident,” Mark Davis, director of regional public affairs for the company’s Western region, said last week.
“I want to re-iterate what Mark (Davis) said that our thoughts and prayers go out to the family,” Hinkle said.
Mendoza had worked for Union Pacific for 30 years.
“As a father his legacy is a symbol of love and care, as a husband, honesty and faithfulness, and as a man integrity, intelligence, and happiness,” said Mendoza’s obituary, published in Tucson on Sunday.