BAYLOR COUNTY, TX — A head-on collision with a tractor-trailer resulted in the death of one truck driver in Baylor County, Texas on Monday, April 21st, 2014, according to the news report from Texoma’s Homepage.
Investigators have said that they have reason to believe 63-year-old Donald Ogle was killed when the tractor-trailer he was driving was struck by a Chevy Tahoe that crossed into the path of the truck unexpectedly while driving on Highway 82 around 4:00 Monday afternoon.
Scene of the Accident
Emergency responders pronounced Donald Ogle dead on the scene when emergency responders arrived.
The driver of the SUV was taken by helicopter to United Regional Hospital where an update on his condition was immediately unavailable.
The investigation is currently ongoing.
Commentary:
Many people may be surprised by this, but tractor-trailers are not designed with nearly the same kind of safety standards that standard commuter cars have. Most are stunned to learned that most of the tractor-trailer’s on the road are not even outfitted with airbags. Why is this important? Well, when a news article mentions that a fire broke out within the truck after the accident, a safety fault or flaw may have played a role in the crash. While not necessarily designed for safety, most of these vehicles are designed not to burst into flames after an accident. If the parts responsible for fire prevention or suppression somehow failed or the external gas tank ruptured, there would be clear evidence of this, and the manufacturer of the truck may bear some liability because the accident may not have been as bad as it was if the truck’s design was up to par.
–Grossman Law Offices
Donnie Ogle was my brother, he has been a trucker driver for many years. This tragic accident would not have happened if the driver of the SUV had not been on his cell phone & paying attention to his driving. He was the supporter of our Mom who is 86 yrs. old & has dementia. He left behind a son, daughter & a granddaughter, whom he was so very proud of & could hardly wait for her graduation. He was killed 2 weeks before . I really do hope the driver of the SUV is held accountable for his actions. He came out alive & barely injured (treated & released) while my brother was killed.
Another death from texting and driving! This was my cousin. A good man.