Patravius R. Grayson, 29, was driving a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse south on U.S. 165 near a bridge over the Arkansas River when the wreck happened around 5:20 p.m., according to a preliminary report from state police.
Troopers said the SUV crossed the centerline into the northbound traffic lane, and the driver of a tractor-trailer swerved into the southbound lane to avoid the vehicle. The Chevrolet swerved back into the southbound lane and hit the truck head-on, killing Grayson, the report states. Troopers: DeWitt man killed in head-on crash with tractor-trailer
Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes —front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.
See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)
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Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides.
Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.
