Inspection Detail

Inspection: 304117583 - J. Lee Milligan, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Lubbock Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:15 p.m. on March 3, 2002, Employee #1 was driving a Mack 12-yard dump truck to a private gravel pit on the Kritser Ranch, which is located approximately 15 miles north of Amarillo on U.S. Highway 287. Employee #1 had stopped at a gate area to let another gravel truck pass by. He was observed by the other driver to wave back at him. According to the physical evidence at the scene, Employee #1 drove straight from the point from where he pulled over directly into a small pond. It would have been necessary for Employee #1 to turn slightly to his right in order to miss the pond. Video photos of the scene taken by the company did not show any attempts to turn, skid marks and or brake marks. The truck was driven straight into this pond which was approximately 8 to 10 foot deep. Employee #1 was found in the truck by rescue divers and his seat belt had to be cut off him. The truck was removed the next day from the water by wreckers. When the truck was being pulled, divers again had to enter the vehicle and place it out of gear. The air brake system was found to still have air in it, which showed the brakes were in operating condition when the vehicle went into the water since if the system had a leak or failure it would cause the brakes to lock up. A walk around inspection of the truck in the yard showed the only obvious damage to the vehicle was a damaged front fender on the driver's side. This damage could have occurred when the truck went into the pond or when the truck was retrieved from the pond by the wreckers. The truck was upright in the pond. The cause of the accident is most likely a medical problem related to the driver. Employee #1 had previous heart problems and the death certificate states "Arteriosclerotic and Hypertensive Heart Disease" and gave the cause of death as "natural causes".

Keywords: HEART ATTACK, DRIVER, DUMP TRUCK