Man, 32, falls from billboard in Brinkley, dies

BRINKLEY — A 32-year-old man died Sunday after falling off a billboard near the Brinkley Convention Center.

Brandon Dunavan of Brinkley was almost done working on the sign when he took off his safety harness to get ready to come down, causing him to lose his balance and fall about 25 to 30 feet to the ground, according to a Brinkley police report signed by officer Terri Settle.

Settle arrived at the scene at about 5:40 p.m. and found Dunavan lying on the ground unresponsive, the police report said.

Dunavan was transported to the Forrest City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead two hours later, the report said.

A witness who had been helping Dunavan told authorities that Dunavan drank three or four beers earlier in the day, but police were unable to get an accurate blood-alcohol-content reading. Dunavan had lost a lot of blood, and medical personnel at the hospital had to give him four units of blood, the report said.

Glenda Arnett, Dunavan’s mother, said her son was a farmer who was working on the sign as a favor to a friend and to make some extra money.