Patterson, LA — July 25, 2024, Anthony Peck and Betty Hester were killed and two minors were hurt following an 18-wheeler accident at 10:00 p.m. on U.S. 90.
According to initial details about the crash, it happened west of town in the area of Lori Lane.
Investigators said that 77-year-old Anthony Peck and 58-year-old Betty Hester were in a Kia Sorento that was going westbound along U.S. 90. Louisiana State Police officials say that there was an 18-wheeler making a u-turn on the highway. While it was on westbound lanes, the Kia crashed into the 18-wheeler.
As a result of the collision, both Anthony Peck and Betty Hester were killed. It’s said there were two minors in the Kia who had injuries. No other injuries were reported. Right now, additional details about the accident are unclear. Authorities have yet to say if they’re considering any charges.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
While I can’t confirm any specific details about what happened here beyond what’s been reported, any crash involving a tractor-trailer making a u-turn sets off alarm bells for me. I’ve handled hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases, and one thing I’ve learned about u-turns in commercial vehicles is that they are almost always dangerous. I can recall companies who would actually fire a driver for even attempting one, even if it was technically legal at the time. They rightfully feel the maneuver just isn’t worth the risk. But if it’s such a risky maneuver, why do it at all?
Simply put, a lot of companies out there care a lot more about drivers meeting deadlines than they do about their drivers being safe. Not long ago, for example, I handled a case involving a company that routinely set unreasonable delivery deadlines. The drivers who cut corners, made risky decisions, or even broke laws to meet the deadlines got more work. The drivers who maybe delayed their deliveries for perfectly legitimate reasons, like taking mandatory breaks or erring on the side of caution rather than rushing in certain situations, were passed over for work. Essentially, the drivers who followed the rules had a harder time providing for their families. That sort of behavior makes a serious accident all but inevitable, and it’s behavior that needs to be rooted out as soon as possible before it harms anyone else.
Maybe the situation is different here, but that’s going to depend on investigations answering a key questions here: Why did the truck driver decide to make a u-turn? Was it a legal maneuver, and they had every possible reason to believe they could complete the turn without cutting anyone off? Or, would a responsible, attentive truck driver have either avoided the u-turn entirely or simply done it in such a way that it avoided a fatal collision? Chances are that getting answers to these questions is going to take a far more thorough accident reconstruction than what authorities typically handle.
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