Bruce Hedtke Killed in Truck Accident in Blanco County, TX

Blanco County, TX — June 15, 2024, Bruce Hedtke was fatally injured as the result of a commercial truck accident at around 11:00 p.m. on U.S. Highway 281.

Authorities said that the accident happened at the intersection of U.S. 281 and U.S. 290, between Johnson City and Blanco.

According to officials, 67-year-old Bruce Hedtke was on a motorcycle going northbound along U.S. 281. At the U.S. 290 intersection, authorities say that 18-wheeler pulled through to go eastbound from southbound U.S. 281. Doing so, the truck allegedly failed to yield to Hedtke, and the vehicles collided. Hedtke was killed as a result.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

It’s unclear if authorities are considering charges or citations right now, but it might surprise folks how complex a crash like this can really be. Even in situations where things seem clear, trucking companies have one goal: avoid responsibility. That usually means they’re going to try to blame the victim as much as possible to shift blame off of their driver. Whether or not a victim makes a mistake is one thing, but whether that mistake is more serious than a truck driver failing to yield is something else entirely.

For example, I handled a case not long ago where authorities outright blamed a truck driver for failing to yield, blocking lanes of travel, and causing a serious accident. The trucking company, though, blamed the victim, saying they had been speeding and weren’t wearing their seatbelt. We knew that was a load of bull. The family knew that was a load of bull. But that knowledge means nothing without proof, which is why we had independent accident reconstructionists dig into the evidence.

That accident reconstruction completely shut down the trucking company’s excuses. For one, analysis of the crash scene and data from the victim’s Engine Control Module proved the victim hadn’t been driving too fast. Second, multiple emergency responders testified they actually had to cut through the victim’s seatbelt to get them out of the car. And lastly, we also found the reflective tape along the side of the truck was so caked in dirt that it was practically invisible at the time of the crash. Only after all of that did the trucking company relent and admit they had no way of avoiding responsibility for their driver’s actions.

Here’s why all of that matters. To be clear, I don’t know more about this crash than what’s been said publicly. There could be extenuating circumstances yet to be confirmed that could make this accident exceptional in some way. But right now, I’m seeing authorities allege that an 18-wheeler pulled across highway lanes from a stop sign, and entering the path of and colliding with an approaching vehicle that had the right-of-way. I’ve handled hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases, many of which involved similar details. I can’t recall any situation off the top of my head where a truck driver did something like that and wasn’t ultimately responsible for the accident. Even in situations where a victim made a mistake, as well, most reasonable people believe that a trained professional driver failing to adhere to basic traffic safety is one of the more serious mistakes any driver could make. While it’s certainly possible this accident is different, it would frankly be unusual if the truck driver’s actions here weren’t seen in a similar light.