The 18-wheeler was traveling east on FM 45 as the trash truck was following behind. According to Larry Roberts, City of Brownwood Sanitation Department driver, he was following behind the semi when it unexpectedly made a U-turn. With a fully loaded truck, Roberts stated that he was unable to stop and was still travelling around 40-45 mph when he collided with the semi striking it at the front of its trailer.
“I just thought to myself, this is going to hurt, this is really going to hurt,” said Roberts.
When asked if he believed in guardian angels, Roberts quickly stated, “Yes, and I have several of them looking out for me today.”
Roberts said that he has been driving trucks for over 27 years and this was his first accident. He has worked for the City of Brownwood almost 5 years.
City of Brownwood Solid Waste Manager Tim Airheart stated that after the impact, Roberts was unable to open the door to exit the truck but a passerby was able to open the door from the exterior which allowed Roberts to crawl over the dashboard to get out.
Making U-turns in the roadway, according to Airheart, is a safety concern. Today’s accident is an example of why this maneuver should not be made.
“These trucks do U-turns when they miss the turn to Kohler and it’s a problem,” said Airheart. Both Roberts and Airheart explained that drivers should never make U-turns in the roadway, they should continue until they can turn around properly, making the block or pulling in somewhere to make a safe turn.
The semi-truck, which was empty at the time of the accident, is a leased vehicle with First Place Tansportation, Inc. out of Texarkana, Arkansas.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers along with Brown County Sheriff’s deputies worked the wreck and were investigating the accident.
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source: www.brownwoodnews.com (Tipton, 8/29)
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