Two Killed in Rusk County Log Truck Accident

According to KTRE, two men were fatally injured last week when a log truck collided with a passenger vehicle.

About the Fatal Log Truck Accident

On Friday at around 9:00 am, on U.S. Highway 59, 82-year-old Ozine Roberts lost his life after a truck rear ended him and ran off the road at Rusk County Road 3286 which is just north of Garrison, Texas. This crash also caused the truck that hit Roberts vehicle to burst into flames – the driver of the truck was also killed.

According to DPS Trooper Jake Leblanc, the log truck driver never hit his brakes and was obviously not paying attention. Another trooper stated that it looked like a “crime scene.” They took measurements of the accident as evidence.

Emergency workers from Timpson, Central Heights, Nacogdoches, and Garrison responded to help redirect traffic around the wreckage. The southbound lanes remained blocked into the afternoon.

The identity of the log truck driver was not readily available. Investigators say the vehicle was from Louisiana.

Trucking Accident Statistics

The following information was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

• 3,964 people were killed in trucking accidents in 2013.
• Of those:
  • 71 percent were occupants of other vehicles
  • 17 were occupants of large trucks
  • 11 percent were nonoccupants, including pedestrians and bicyclists
• An additional 95,000 people were injured in trucking accidents in 2013.