A crash on January 5, 2016 involving a semi truck and a pickup truck in Finney County killed a man who lived in Scott City. The Highway Patrol said that a southbound 2010 Peterbuilt semi driving on U.S. 83 swerved to avoid hitting another car that had slowed down to turn off the road.
The semi struck a Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by a 28-year-old man. He was transferred to a hospital and died at 6:30 pm. He was wearing a seat belt. The semi truck driver was also injured and taken to the hospital.
The deceased was a technician for Northern Natural Gas. He is survived by his wife, a 1-year-old son, his parents, a brother, and a sister, as well as grandparents and great-grandparents. He was also a member of the Scott City Fire Department. A Go Fund Me account has been established to help the family.
These types of accidents can be caused by many factors. Large semi trucks are heavily regulated by the federal government, and must meet strict standards for maintenance. The drivers of these vehicles must be educated and licensed to operate them. But sometimes these regulations are violated.
Federal regulations require that evidence must be gathered and maintained to see if any laws were violated, especially in situations such as a wrongful death. But the driver’s log can be destroyed six months after the accident if a spoliation letter is not sent to the trucking company.
