MCALESTER, OK — Joann James died after an accident with a tractor-trailer that happened in McAlester, Oklahoma on Friday, December 5th, 2014. The article from The McAlester News-Capital said that the accident happened around 5:30 Friday evening.
75-year-old Joann James died when the car she was driving wa hit by a tractor-trailer in the 1400 block of George Nigh Expressway. Police said that James’ car pulled onto the highway when it was struck by the tractor-trailer.
James was killed in the crash. The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained unspecified injuries.
The investigation is ongoing at this juncture.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
The news report mentioned that the woman may not have seen the tractor-trailer, but I’ve got another theory. There is a real possibility that this victim did see the truck, and assumed she had enough time and space to complete the turn. We’ve all turned across traffic thinking there is plenty of room, only to look in our rear-view to see a speeding car has come this close to hitting us. Why does this happen? Well it’s difficult to extrapolate the speed of a vehicle when it is driving in your direction. If this woman thought she had time to turn, but the truck was speeding, it could have been nearly impossible to tell. A quick look at the truck’s telemetry data could reveal a whole lot more than a news article, but you’ve got to get your hands on it first.
— Grossman Law Offices