Jeremy Daley Killed in Truck Accident on US-69 in Wagoner County, OK
Wagoner County, OK — December 12, 2022, 45-year-old Jeremy Daley died in a single-vehicle 18-wheeler accident on U.S. Highway 69 in Wagoner County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 4:05 a.m. on southbound US-69, around 5 miles south of Wagoner. Preliminary investigation suggests Daley was driving a big rig south when he may have lost control for unknown reasons. The truck ran off the highway and hit a pole, then crashed into an embankment and came to rest.
Daley, allegedly not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation continues. No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Jeremy Daley Accident in Wagoner County
After an accident like the one news reports described I'm often concerned about how much careful attention authorities will actually give it. People--police sometimes among them--often conclude a driver who ran off the road and crashed in the early morning just made a mistake, like falling asleep at the wheel or taking his eyes off the road to look at his GPS or phone. However, immediately blaming the victim like that is imprudent and unjust. What if there's more to the story?
A lot of things, both common and less so, can send a truck off the road. What if it had mechanical problems or defects? Did it blow a tire? Did its cargo shift significantly? Was it well-maintained by the trucking company? And what about the driver--was he in good health? Did his employer require him to make unreasonable delivery deadlines or work dangerously long hours?
To be clear, I don't know more than reports say about what happened. That's the problem, though: They don't say enough, and the loss of a man's life obviously deserves clarification. Maybe nothing unusual happened here, but it's best to let the evidence speak for itself. Will police efforts alone be enough to find that evidence?
