Victim in Fatal 18-Wheeler Accident Identified
A victim who was killed in a fatal accident in Wilbarger County has been identified by police.
Details about the Fatal Accident
KAUZ News is reporting that officials have released the name of a man who was killed in an accident on Sunday night that happened on Highway 287 north at the Harrold Truck Stop.
According to troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety, 40-year-old Travis Lee Higginbotham, of Merit, Texas, was the only fatality in the motor vehicle accident. The accident happened at about 8:45 p.m. in Wilbarger County, which is just outside of Electra.
Officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety further stated that an 18-wheeler that was carrying a load of bees was attempting to turn into the truck stop from the southbound lanes of Highway 287.
That was when a 2012 Chevrolet pickup truck was heading north and collided into the side of the tractor-trailer and was shoved under the trailer.
The man who was driving the pickup was killed at the scene of the accident. No charges have been formally made at this time, but an investigation into the accident is ongoing.
Important Information about Accidents Involving Large Trucks
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are thousands of wrongful deaths every year in the United States involving large trucks:
- A total of 3,946 people were killed in traffic accidents involving large trucks in 2013.
- 71 percent of people who were killed in traffic accidents involving large trucks were the occupants of other vehicles at the time of the accident.
- There were a total of 95,000 people who were injured in traffic accidents involving large trucks.
