• November 03, 2020

Gary Johnson Killed in Go-Kart/18-wheeler Accident in Spring Bay Township, IL

Spring Bay Township, IL -- October 30, 2020, Gary Johnson was killed after an accident where an 18-wheeler struck him on the highway.

Investigators with the Illinois State Police reported that the crash happened at around 5:45 p.m. off the corner of Highway 26 and Elchhorn Road.

In their reports, troopers said that 51-year-old Gary Johnson was driving a go-kart along Highway 26 when it somehow "malfunctioned". Reports said that Johnson was in the roadway attempting to fix the go-kart. Doing so, an approaching 18-wheeler did not avoid him, striking him in the roadway.

Johnson sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision. Right now, additional details about the accident are unavailable.

Commentary on Gary Johnson 18-wheeler Accident in Spring Bay Township

It's tragic to read about any accident like this, and clearly there need to be some answers here. While a highway is no place to try and fix your go-kart, that doesn't give drivers a free pass to hit the person in the road. Ultimately, investigators try to determine whether or not the driver that hit the victim was acting as a reasonably prudent professional.

Gary Johnson Killed in 18-wheeler Accident in Spring Bay Township, IL

Essentially, a truck driver doing everything they're supposed has a reasonable chance to avoid an accident. If a truck driver doing everything right can't avoid hitting something in the road, then it likely just wasn't avoidable. If they could have avoided it, however, it could be a sign they were doing something wrong, such as speeding or looking at their phone.

When I read these reports, it was likely getting dark around the time of the accident, those it wasn't exactly nighttime yet. Additionally, I have serious doubts that someone would just sit there in the middle of the highway trying to "fix" their go-kart. If nothing else, I think this incident is far more complex than these initial reports let on. Hopefully there are more thorough investigations to ensure the family affected by this tragedy gets some much needed answers.

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