Holdrege, NE — March 28, 2023, Lawrence Johnson was killed and Peggy Morten was injured following a semi-truck accident on Highway 183.
Nebraska State Patrol officials reported that the incident happened at around 5:00 p.m. just north of town near the intersection of 737 Road. Their details say that 50-year-old Lawrence Johnson was in a pickup traveling along the highway. In oncoming lanes, 64-year-old Peggy Morten was in an SUV that slowed to turn left onto 737 Road. As the SUV slowed, it appears a semi-truck rear-ended Morten’s vehicle, forcing it into oncoming lanes. There, the Morten’s SUV and Johnson’s pickup collided head-on.
Due to the crash, Lawrence Johnson sustained fatal injuries. Peggy Morten was said to have non-life-threatening injuries but was flown from the scene. Other injuries weren’t specified. At this time, additional details surrounding the crash remain under investigation.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
To be rather blunt here, it’s challenging to envision a scenario where this awful event happens without the semi-truck driver making a huge mistake. I’ve certainly seen unusual circumstances lead to deadly wrecks before, and I’m not suggesting anyone be blamed without clear evidence. But it’s crucial to ensure authorities are getting that evidence as soon and as carefully as possible so the victims and families involved in this crash can tell their side of the story.
Even in a situation where a truck driver is speeding or looking at their phone, a deadly truck wreck is rarely simple or straight-forward. As they say, it’s not what you know but rather what you can prove. That’s why there was a situation I handled not too long ago where we actually had to jump through hoops just to prove that a truck driver owned a cell phone.
In that particular example, witnesses saw the truck driver looking in his lap at the time of the crash, but his employer outright denied he had a phone. But thanks to our depositions, the driver tripped over his own stories and let the truth slip. We were then able to get a court order for the phone records, and they clearly showed the truck driver was too busy watching adult videos to look up at the road.
I wish I could say that was an unusual situation. But with the possible exception of the material that driver was watching, the hurdles were par for the course. I can’t begin to count how many families I’ve seen fighting to recover from a serious wreck or burying their loved ones all because of someone else’s stupid mistake, yet the burden still falls upon their already weighted shoulders to ensure they get the answers and the help they deserve. Sometimes, ensuring there are appropriate consequences also falls to them. I just hope authorities here are more thorough and more helpful in that regard so there can at least be clear answers about what went wrong here and who’s responsible.
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