DENTON, TX (10/31/2017) — A 23-year-old motorcyclist was killed Tuesday afternoon after being struck by a set of wheels which had separated from an oncoming 18-wheeler truck.
According to reports, 23-year-old Brady Burger (of Sanger) was riding a BMW motorcycle southbound on I-35E when an 18-wheeler headed northbound experienced a catastrophic axle failure. Two side-by-side wheels apparently came loose from the truck at speed, traveled over the highway’s concrete divider into southbound lanes of traffic, and struck Burger’s motorcycle in the inside lane, as well as a Toyota Camry in the center lane.
Brady Burger
The Tarrant County medical examiner’s office says that Burger was pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash. The two occupants of the Toyota Camry were reportedly uninjured.
Commentary
While clearly this crash was not an intentional act on the part of the truck driver, I have to wonder what factors played a role in the truck’s initial failure. There is no mention of any other vehicles being involved, so how exactly did the axle fail so catastrophically on its own? Was this purely a freak accident with no one to really point a finger at, or were there other factors at play here? When was this truck last inspected? How thorough was the previous inspection? Have investigators yet determined what factors likely led to this equipment failure?
Unfortunately, police have not released much information as of today, but we will continue to update this story as we learn more.
