Bethany Burrier Survivor of deadly chain reaction crash responds to investigation findings WAVE3

Sign in or sign up now!
Alert icon
Upgrade to the latest Flash Player for improved playback performance. Upgrade now or more info.
1,098
Loading...
Alert icon
Sign in or sign up now!
Alert icon

Uploaded by on May 28, 2010

The petition for the Diploma of the daughter who was killed can be found here. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Help-Get-Bethany-Burrier-s-degree-from-IUS/1...

Posted: May 25, 2010 12:12 AM PST Updated: May 25, 2010 12:28 AM PST
Larry Wilder Larry Wilder
Bethany Burrier (Source; Borden H.S. Yearbook) Bethany Burrier (Source; Borden H.S. Yearbook)
Ted French Ted French

By Connie Leonard - bio | email
Posted by Charles Gazaway - email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The findings are in on a horrific accident that killed a southern Indiana teen. A crash investigation report by the city of Jeffersonville finds the driver of the garbage truck that slammed into several cars earlier this month had some serious issues.




On May 6, Ted French laid eyes on his family and realized how important every moment is.

"I was really glad to see somebody that I knew and I cared about," French remembered.

French was in his flatbed truck waiting in a line of construction traffic that day as crews paved Highway 60 near Sellersburg. Suddenly, a Jeffersonville garbage truck plowed into the back of a line of vehicles. The impact was so strong that it caused French's flatbed to flip over and crushed another car behind him, killing 19-year-old Bethany Burrier of Borden, IN.

"I had a tough time that first week, reliving it and waking up every morning first thing you think about is the lady that lost her life and it was kind of tough," said French. "That was Thursday and I didn't drive again until Sunday and the first time I drove, was to go to church."

French feels lucky to have walked away, but has questions about the crash investigation report just released by the City of Jeffersonville. Investigators say garbage truck driver, 45-year-old Roger Crum of Marysville, admitted he took two prescription drugs for back pain before his shift. Both of the drugs can cause drowsiness.

"This individual driver had a prescription for two medications," said Larry Wilder, the Jeffersonville city attorney, "Flexeril and Lortab and he had a prescription for those medications, since June of 2009 and he became an employee in the city in April 2009."

Wilder says Crum never told his supervisor he was taking the medication. Crum also told investigators he never saw any construction signs or flaggers.

French not only remembers seeing a construction warning, he remembers where - 1/4 mile back from where traffic was stopped.

"Then, I saw the guy standing out in the middle of the road with the sign that they turn to stop and go," said French.

French says even if Crum missed the construction warning, he doesn't understand how Crum's co-worker, Timothy Sheckles, missed it too.

"Two people were distracted," said French. "I've driven those trucks before and I know what it takes to stop them and it just boils down to being distracted and not seeing what's happening."

Jeffersonville city officials say Sheckles has not been interviewed yet because he is still recovering from his injuries. Attorneys representing the family of Bethany Burrier and those representing other injured crash victims say they are waiting until other crash reports are final before deciding what to do next. The Clark County Prosecutor is now reviewing the case.




Related Story: * Southern Indiana garbage truck accident report released

Copyright 2010 WAVE News. All rights reserved.

  • likes, 0 dislikes

Link to this comment:

Share to:
see all

All Comments (0)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
Loading...

Alert icon
0 / 00Unsaved Playlist Return to active list
    1. Your queue is empty. Add videos to your queue using this button:
      or sign in to load a different list.
    Loading...Loading...Saving...
    • Clear all videos from this list
    • Learn more