Hillard Grimes Killed, Rick Lawson, 1 Injured in Semi-Truck Accident in Tipton County, IN
Tipton County, IN -- December 9, 2022, Hillard Grimes was killed and Rick Lawson and a juvenile were hurt in , after a semi-truck accident.
Investigators said that the incident happened at around 5:43 p.m. along State Route 213.
The incident occurred as a tractor-trailer with farm equipment was apparently attempting to back into a driveway, blocking northbound lanes. While it did so, a BMW driven by 75-year-old Hillard Grimes and a Subaru driven by 52-year-old Rick Lawson crashed into the semi-trailer.
Grimes sustained fatal injuries due to the crash while Lawson's injuries were said to be serious. A juvenile in Grimes's vehicle reportedly had minor injuries. At this time, additional details about the crash are unavailable.
Commentary on Hillard Grimes, Rick Lawson Semi-Truck Accident in Tipton County
To put this rather bluntly, it's unlikely something like this would happen if a truck driver takes proper precautions to make this maneuver safely. It's inherently dangerous for a multi-ton commercial vehicle to be blocking highway lanes, especially a rural highway like this after sundown.
For example, even if a trailer has lights or reflectors, it's possible the truck was pointing into oncoming lanes, causing the headlights to mask the obstruction. That's why responsible companies and drivers have ways to flag down traffic or to otherwise ensure approaching vehicles know there's an obstruction. One vehicle hitting a truck in a situation like this can sometimes just be inattentive driving, but two drivers hitting it is a much more serious sign that there simply weren't measures to protect other motorists, and that's a serious problem.
With all of that said, I only say this due to experience with similar wrecks across hundreds of commercial vehicle wrecks. I can't say what did or didn't happen here until there are more thorough independent accident reconstructions. Only through clear evidence can a family ensure they're able to tell the victims' sides of the story and to prevent whatever trucking or insurance company tactics are no doubt going to stand between them and the resolution they deserve.
The article below can help folks understand just how serious those steps can be in these situations.
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