On Sunday night, a fatal crash involving an 18-wheeler happened on Highway 287 in Wichita Falls. According to KFDX News Channel Three, the incident happened sometime before 8:45 p.m. in front of the Harrold Truck Stop. The large 18-wheeler was reportedly facing south, and heading left across the northbound lane into the truck stop, when a Chevrolet pickup truck crashed head-on into the side of the semi truck’s trailer. The front of the pickup truck became wedged under the trailer. The driver of the pickup truck, 40-year-old Travis Lee Higginbotham, died as a result of his injuries in the crash.
Second Deadly Crash This Year
The semi truck was hauling bees at the time if the crash, which made it difficult for first responders on the scene. The truck was patched up and the remaining bees were contained after the wreck. Sadly, this is the second fatal crash to happen in this particular area just this year. In February, a Jeep rear-ended a car on this same stretch of roadway. The driver of that car, a woman from Amarillo, was killed instantly in the crash. Advocates and concerned citizens have called on the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to do something about this dangerous and deadly stretch of roadway.
A Deadly Intersection
Unfortunately, representatives with the TxDOT have reportedly done all they can do to increase safety at this particular intersection. Adele Lewis, a TxDOT representative, said that they’ve had engineers out several times over the last 20 years to look at and assess the area in question. Troopers with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) are encouraging drivers to exercise additional caution on this deadly stretch of highway. This is a particularly dangerous area, because vehicles traveling at highway speeds mix with the slower traffic coming in and out of the truck stop.
Truck Accidents in Texoma
Crashes involving high speeds and slower traffic can have devastating results. Add commercial trucking vehicles to the mix, and you could be looking at catastrophic and fatal injury causing wrecks, and any wreck involving a semi truck is going to need a comprehensive and detailed investigation to ensure the truck driver, truck and trucking company were in compliance with all federal safety regulations at the time of the wreck.
The team at the Altman Legal Group sends their deepest condolences to Travis Lee Higginbotham’s family members, friends and loved ones.