Craft, TX — October 10, 2024, Dovianne Boyd was killed and Kimberly Branson was injured in a truck accident at about 8:40 a.m. on U.S. Route 69.
A preliminary accident report indicates a 2024 Toyota Sienna slowed down because a 2012 Ford F-350 towing a trailer was turning into a private driveway. Another Ford F-350 with a trailer hit the back of the Toyota, knocking it into the other truck’s trailer. The impact also spun the Toyota around as the truck continued north. The first truck’s trailer was disconnected by the crash.
Toyota driver Dovianne Boyd, 79, died in the crash, while passenger Kimberly Branson, 55, was seriously injured, according to authorities.
Both truck drivers were hospitalized after crash with minor injuries, the report states.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Cherokee County crash.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Crashes like this one are a sobering example of how a single lapse in attention or judgment by a commercial driver can have deadly consequences for innocent motorists. According to reports, a Toyota Sienna was slowing down for a turning truck when another F-350 failed to stop and slammed into the back of the Toyota, pushing it into the turning trailer and spinning it around. One woman lost her life, and another was seriously hurt.
From a legal standpoint, this crash raises clear questions about following distance and situational awareness. Drivers, especially those operating large pickups with trailers, are expected to leave enough space to stop safely if traffic ahead slows or comes to a stop. That expectation becomes even more critical when trailers are involved, since stopping distances increase and maneuverability decreases. When a driver fails to account for that, and the result is a fatal rear-end collision, it often comes down to negligence.
It’s also important to consider the visibility and timing of the turn being made by the first truck. Did it signal properly? Did it slow in a way that gave other drivers fair warning? While there’s no indication the first truck did anything wrong, it’s still part of the chain of events. But none of that changes the fact that the second F-350 was required to maintain a safe distance and control its vehicle, something it clearly failed to do.
What makes this case more serious is the extent of the impact. The crash not only forced the Toyota into another vehicle, but it also dislodged the trailer from the first F-350. That kind of result suggests a significant amount of force, and raises questions about how fast the second truck was going and whether the driver attempted to brake at all. Investigators will need to examine things like skid marks, ECM data from the truck and possibly dashcam footage to determine exactly how much warning the driver had, and whether they took any steps to avoid the crash.
And as with many crashes involving pickups used for work, especially those hauling trailers, it’s worth asking: Were these trucks operated by individuals, contractors, or part of a business? If a company owned or dispatched either of the trucks, their role in training, oversight and safety compliance could become a major legal issue.
At the end of the day, this wasn’t a multi-vehicle pileup in stop-and-go traffic. It was a clear-cut situation where a vehicle slowed for a routine turn, and another vehicle following too closely failed to stop in time, leading to a death that likely could have been avoided. When that kind of failure happens on a highway, and someone pays for it with their life, a full and thorough investigation isn’t just important: it’s necessary to ensure accountability for every decision that led up to the crash.
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