What a Load of Crop

Cracked Corn Pops Out as Truck Driver Takes Evasive Action to Avoid Wreck

An 18-wheeler spilled a load of cracked corn after rolling over on SH 159 Friday morning, Dec. 10.

The wreck happened around 9:15 a.m. just north of Texas One Stop in La Grange. Trooper Josh Berger with the Texas Highway Patrol investigated the accident.

The driver of the Peterbilt truck-tractor, Jirrel Dean Warren, 62 of Seguin, was driving the semi rig north on SH 159. Berger said a black Ford passenger car failed to yield the right of way by pulling out of the Texas One Stop parking lot in front of the 18-wheeler. The driver of the Ford was 94-year-old Abie Robert Froese of Carmine.

The 18-wheeler took evasive action to the left, missing the car. The grain hopper trailer loaded with cracked corn struck a large oak tree in the ditch, causing the rig to turn over on the driver side.

Warren was initially trapped inside the cab of his 18-wheeler. He escaped by pushing the glass out of the back cabin window and crawling out. Warren suffered some scratches and bruises. Fayette County EMS transported him to St. Mark’s Hospital in La Grange for evaluation.

Emergency workers spent over an hour clearing the wreckage. A wrecker from Ron’s Towing tipped the 18-wheeler back on its wheels and hauled it away. Producer’s Coop of New Braunfels and Seguin owned the 18-wheeler.

La Grange Fire Department, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and La Grange Police all assisted at the scene.