Authorities have released the name of the flatbed truck driver who was killed when a load of steel beams came crashing through his cab after an abrupt stop Friday morning on an Indiana highway.
Police say the driver was Shawn Spencer, 44, of Rome, Pa. Spencer was hauling steel beams for Todd Berguson Trucking of Arnot, Pa.
The incident occurred at approximately 6:20 a.m. Friday on U.S. Highway 20 in Angola, Ind.
Spencer was at an intersection on Highway 20 just west of Interstate 69 when he apparently hit the brakes hard – causing part of his load to come through the sleeper and into the cab, according to Angola Police Officer Matt Kling.
Kling said police are still trying to determine what prompted Spencer to brake hard, and they have no witnesses at this time. A surveillance camera at a nearby Love’s truck stop didn’t cover the intersection. Kling also said Spencer’s tractor didn’t have a so-called “headache rack” – a heavy protective barrier mounted behind a tractor cab designed to prevent penetration of the cab due to the load shifting forward, which might have protected him.
