A Brooksville man was killed this weekend when he was caught driving in a freak dust storm in Arkansas.

  • Five-car crash blamed on dust storm in Arkansas
  • Ben Brantley, of Brooksville, died in crash
  • Brantley left behind wife, two daughters

Ben Brantley was traveling while working on a big project for his family's business. He was on the phone with his wife Sunday afternoon when he was involved in a five-vehicle crash during a bad dust storm in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. Investigators say there was near-zero visibility at the time.

"She heard a bump and he said, 'Oh, I just hit somebody in front of me,' and then she heard a beep, beep, beep," Brantley's mother Carole said. "We don’t know what that was. Sounded like a seat belt, we don’t know and then the phone went dead."

Brantley was the only person killed in the crash. He leaves behind a big family including two daughters. He was set to take over the family’s electrical business. His father Ronnie says they were very close.

"He is the finest man I have ever met and that’s the truth," Ronnie said. "I really believe that."

"He was a wonderful son and a wonderful dad and a wonderful husband," Carole said.

The family is heartbroken in the wake of Brantley's death.

"We don’t quite understand why this had to happen, but there was a reason," his mother said. "We can’t question that. We just have to move on."