The family of a truck driver who was killed after being struck by an unmarked police car during a routine traffic stop says that they feel that details regarding the situation have been left out.
The wreck happened on Friday, June 29th at around 5:15 p.m. in the area of Northland, Kansas.
According to The Kansas City Star, 38-year-old truck driver Jorrard M. Davis was pulled over by a police officer on southbound Interstate 29 near Barry Road because the door to his Goodwill trailer had come open, nearly allowing the items inside to fall out onto the highway.
Davis then pulled over, exited his cab, and began walking in the right lane of the highway to the back of his rig.
“The detectives yelled for him to get back in his truck,” said Capitan Lionel Colon in a statement.
Just then, an oncoming unmarked police cruiser being driven by a civilian employee of the Kansas City Police Department traveling in the middle lane of I-29 slowed down for traffic and was struck by a second semi truck, pushing the unmarked police car into Davis, who was still walking in the right lane of traffic.
Davis was killed in the accident, the two passengers in the unmarked police car suffered only minor injuries, and the driver of the second tractor trailer was not hurt.
Now, just a few days after the wreck, Davis’ family says that some details seem to be missing from the accident report.
“Why was the second cop car blocking the second lane?” said Antonio Davis, cousin and fellow truck driver to Jorrard.
“Why was it pulled up on the side of the truck? Jorrard always paid attention to his surroundings,” Antonio said.
“Something wasn’t done right.”
“You always leave room for others,” continued Jorrard’s aunt, Tina Williams, who has been a school bus driver since 1986.
“You are the professional. You see the big picture. You always leave an out. You use your mirrors.”
“You don’t hit an emergency vehicle in the day without some kind of distraction,” added Jorrard’s great-uncle William Dodd, voicing the entire family’s suspicion that the driver of the second big rig was distracted at the time of the wreck, causing him to crash into the unmarked police car and killing Jorrard.
“We are hurting all over,” said Jorrard’s cousin, Yolanda Montgomery.
“He worked every day. Every day. He was a role model for the other cousins. He kept them out of trouble. He taught them about job stability and taking care of family. He was the glue.”
The day of the accident, Jorrard and his cousin Antonio had just received news that they had both been hired on driving oil trucks at Halliburton in El Reno, Oklahoma, and were looking forward to moving and “starting a new life somewhere different as cousins,” said Tina Williams.
“I know he would want me to continue on,” Antonio Davis said. “I would want the same for him. But it’s hard knowing he’s not coming with me. We were supposed to go together.”