The driver of the pick-up truck who caused the tragic US Highway 83 accident on Wednesday said he was texting.
Additional details emerge in the case of the deadly crash that took place on the US Highway 83 on Wednesday. According to a spokesperson for the National Board of Transportation Safety, the pick-up truck’s driver might have been texting at the moment he collided with the church bus. It would appear that the driver even confessed to his deed prior to the arrival of the authorities.
On Wednesday, 13 people were killed after 20-year-old Jack Dilon Young lost control of his pick-up truck and struck a bus carrying the members of the First Baptist New Braunfels Church. Twelve people were killed on impact, while the last one died at the hospital as a result of his severe injuries.
Jody Kuchler was riding with his girlfriend on the US Highway 83. Just before reaching San Antonio, Kuchler saw a pick-up driver moving erratically on the road. Kuchler told the investigators that his girlfriend begun to record the driver using her cell phone, while he called the authorities to asked them to remove the dangerous driver from the road.
Kuchler recalled telling his girlfriend that if the pick-up truck’s drivers continued to behave the way he did, he would surely kill himself or someone else. Moments later, Young’s vehicle swerved and collided with a white bus coming from the opposite direction.
The accident’s eyewitness recalls stopping his vehicle and rushing to aid assistance. Kuchler said he had a little ‘friendly’ chat with the pick-up truck’s driver, moments before the authorities arrived. Young told Kuchler that he was texting before colliding with the church bus.
Baffled by the man’s statements, Kuchler asked Young if he has any idea about what he’s done. After a couple of minutes, the authorities arrived to contain the situation and to evacuate the wounded.
Unfortunately, due to the fact that Young was also speeding, the impact of the collision was so powerful that 12 people were killed on the spot. Another victim was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery but was later declared dead.
According to the National Board of Transportation Safety, there was only one survivor who is, at the moment, in critical condition. The preliminary investigation determined that the church bus’s occupants were seated correctly and that most of them were wearing their seatbelts.
Young, the driver of the pick-up truck who caused the tragic accident was also rushed to the hospital.
Image source: Wikipedia