Sharon Watz, 79, and John Watz, 82, killed in crash into parked log truck on shoulder of U.S. Highway 165 in Grant Parish, Louisiana

Modified Date: 
Wed, 05/24/2023 - 11:27am
Accident Date: 
Thursday, December 30, 2021

Pollock Woman and Man Killed in Grant Parish Crash

For reasons still under investigation, the Chevrolet exited the roadway and struck the rear of a 2015 Kenworth commercial motor vehicle (log truck), which was parked on the southbound shoulder.

Type: Car Accident
People Involved: 
Sharon Watz
John Watz

Comments

The Watz's were my grandparents and I would just like to add that the commercial vehicle, a log truck, was parked on the shoulder of Hwy 165 S and prior to the collision the log truck driver had not initiated any safety protocol related to his vehicle being broken down on the shoulder. There were NO (ZERO) NO red flags placed at anywhere on the broken down truck or on the roadway in the lane of traffic occupied by the disabled vehicle or on the shoulder 100 feet before and after the broken down vehicle to signal other drivers. There were NO warning signals placed by the log truck driver between 100-500 foot from his broken down vehicle to a hillcrest to indicate that he was broken down and to signal other drivers of the presence of a broken down vehicle. The log truck driver DID NOT have a valid CDL to operate the log truck he was driving. The owner of the trucking company happens to be a local sheriff deputy. The Louisiana State Police officer working the accident was made aware that the truck driver had no CDL and had not properly notified other drivers with warning signals as prescribed by Louisiana law that he was broken down on the side of the roadway in an hilly area of Hwy 165 South. The LSP Officer was made aware on the scene and by telephone following the accident and still chose not to include any of this information in the LSP Crash Report and did not ticket the driver of the log truck for driving without a valid CDL. NOTHING will EVER make the pain of this loss go away, but it is made even worse when a state police officer intentionally omits key information from a police report that paints your dead family members in a negative manner. Had the log truck driver properly warned oncoming traffic of his broken down vehicle I might still have my grandparents today....

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