Crash That Killed 14 From L.A. Tied to Trucker’s Fatigue
The truck-van accident that killed 14 Californians in Texas during the July 4 holiday weekend resulted from the truck driver’s fatigue, the Texas Department of Public Safety said Monday.
Lawyers for the truck driver disputed the conclusion, with one saying the state was under pressure to find a “fall guy” in the accident.
A dozen children and two adults, all Los Angeles residents, were killed after an 18-wheeler struck the van in which they were riding near Weatherford, 30 miles west of Ft. Worth.
The victims, headed to Vicksburg, Miss., for a family reunion, were traveling in the van at an estimated 18 to 28 m.p.h. on Interstate 20 at the time of the July 3 collision, according to Texas investigators.
The trucker, Richie Darrell Ware, 34, of Arlington, Tex., did not brake or take evasive action before the collision, state officials reported. His tractor-semitrailer was going between 60 and 65 m.p.h. when it struck the van, investigators said. The daytime speed limit for trucks on the highway is 60 m.p.h.
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