Cody Carson Killed in 18-Wheeler Accident on 330th Rd in Brown County, KS
Brown County, KS — January 18, 2023, 24-year-old Cody Carson died in a single-vehicle 18-wheeler accident on 330th Road in Brown County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on westbound 330th Road. Preliminary investigation suggests Carson was driving a big rig west near the Nebraska state line when the truck went out of control for unknown reasons. It left the roadway and traveled into a ditch, then hit a concrete culvert and overturned.
Carson was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation continues. No further information is currently available.
One thing I've found over the years is that folks tend to quickly blame almost any kind of single-vehicle accident on the operator. As always, however, I discourage making any assumptions before a more comprehensive investigation is done. Many things can send a truck off-course—poor road conditions, mechanical failures or defects, driver medical emergencies, even other vehicles running it off the road, for example—and plenty of them are out of the driver's control.
For instance, I noticed the press reported the driver may not have been wearing a seat belt but also described the crash as a rollover. I see those go hand-in-hand often in the news, and to me they're something of a red flag. Frankly it's not that uncommon for someone to slip out of a seat belt or disengage its buckle by accident during a rollover, but that possibility often gets overlooked.
I'm not trying to overcomplicate things or suggest I know something reports don't say. I'm only pointing out that the right thing to do so soon after a crash is to keep an open mind and conduct a full investigation. Hopefully authorities will take the time and care needed to get the whole story; the people who lost a loved on in Brown County deserve no less.
