Patrolman Arvil O. Hudson

Arvil O. Hudson

Patrolman Hudson was killed when his automobile skidded and crashed on a wet highway during a vehicle pursuit on Highway 78 around 2:00 p.m.

Patrolman Hudson and his partner were patrolling when a truck zoomed past heading recklessly in the opposite direction. His partner turned the car around and sped after it, hoping to pull the driver over before it caused an accident. It was a narrow and winding road, slick with rain. The driver of the truck, seeing the flashing lights, sped up to evade them. Focused on the speeding truck, the officer never saw the deep, rain-filled pothole. The impact jarred the car, and he hit the brakes, which locked up on the slick pavement. The patrol car ran off the road and flipped several times. Patrolman Hudson was thrown from the vehicle and killed instantly. The other officer was injured but survived. The truck sped off in the rain.

Patrolman Hudson had been appointed to the Alabama Department of Public Safety three months earlier. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, parents, three brothers, and three sisters.