Trooper: Gravel Truck Situation a Dangerous Issue On Highway 71

A State Trooper said a woman was lucky to be alive following a wreck with a gravel truck on SH 71 back on Oct. 28.

Trooper James McCoy with the Texas Highway Patrol, who investigated the crash, said there’s been an uptick in crashes involving gravel trucks just west of La Grange ever since a new gravel pit opened along Old Plum Highway.

“Basically, those trucks are pulling out from the gravel pit back there in Plum,” Mc-Coy said. “There’s a lot of 18 wheeler traffic coming off the north side of 71 and trying to go eastbound. They’re coming out the side roads and looking left and right. In this case, it was a foggy morning and dark.”

The crash happened around 6 a.m. The truck was pulling out of Trinity School Rd., attempting to turn left. McCoy said the 18-wheeler driver saw headlights coming down the highway, but he thought he had enough time to cross. A black Jeep Wrangler was quickly approaching and crashed into the rear axles of the 18-wheeler.

The female driver of the Jeep suffered serious injuries. McCoy said she spent several days in the hospital.

“It was pretty much the same situation in another crash a few days prior,” Mc-Coy said. “The only difference was the truck pulled out into eastbound traffic and a vehicle rear-ended him. These crashes are happening a lot.”

McCoy said he intends to speak with officials from the Texas Department of Transportation about the safety issue with gravel trucks west of La Grange. He said a similar problem was occurring in Lee County with tanker trucks pulling onto US 290. He said TxDOT put up signs requiring the trucks to turn right instead of crossing over the divided highway.

“They have to turn right and go down to the next intersection and turn around,” Mc-Coy said.

McCoy said he thinks such an arrangement could cut down on the gravel truck crashes on SH 71.

“Until we can get those intersections shut down, I don’t see an end to these crashes happening,” McCoy said.