The Stonewall Courier (Aspermont, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 16, 2013 Page: 3 of 8
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Wayne HodginAThe Knox County-News Courier
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Brody Moore walks by the wreckage of a semi-truck
after it exploded May 9 in a three-truck crash on U.S. 277 near Bomarton.
wo die in three-truck crash
By Hanaba Munn Welch
The Knox County News-Courier
BOMARTON — A three-truck, two-fa-
tality crash May 9 on a two-lane stretch of
U.S. 277 near Bomarton, between Seymour
and Goree, sent black smoke billowing and
closed the highway for hours.
Traffic was detoured on a Farm to Market
loop to the south.
Killed were Jerry Keith Jones, 56, of Noble,
Okla., driver of an eastbound one-ton Dodge
flatbed, and Kermith Claus Johnson, 65, of
Abilene, driver of a westbound Peterbilt semi-
truck towing a tanker trailer.
The lone survivor of the accident was Ran-
dy West of Adamsville, Tenn., headed west
in his 2002 Kenworth and carrying a load of
oil field pipe when Jones, towing an empty
flatbed trailer, sideswiped West’s rig front to
back, from the breather on the driver’s side of
his cab to the last wheel on his trailer.
In his rear-view mirror, West saw what hap-
pened when Jones, continuing on his deadly
trajectory, ran head-on into Johnson.
“I looked in the mirror, and I saw that
tanker turn over and burst into flames,” West
said. “This makes me want to quit trucking. It
makes you think.”
Also coming from the east was a minivan
carrying a family from Midland — a father,
mother and two young daughters.
Bomarton resident Junior Livingston heard
their account of what happened. He gave the
family refuge at his house, knowing it would
be better, especially for the children, for the
family not to remain at the accident site.
Before the accident happened, the driver of
the minivan had planned to pass the tanker
truck, which was not traveling at the speed
limit. He had moved enough to his left to see
the pickup headed across the centerline to-
ward the other truck. When the collision and
explosion ensued, he and his family exited
their vehicle and ran away from the fire.
“I got the mom and dad and two little girls
and took them to my house,” Livingston said.
Emergency vehicles from Baylor County
and Knox County arrived at the scene, but
it was apparent to all observers that no one
could have survived the fiery crash.
“Nobody was transported,” said Trooper
Brody Moore of the Texas Department of
Public Safety, who was investigating the
wreck. “We’re just trying to ID.”
Firefighters stood by as the black smoke
rose skyward. A prevailing breeze from the
south blew the smoke away from nearby
highway workers who were just across the way
involved in the construction of two new lanes
that eventually will turn the section of two-
lane highway into a four-lane.
The accident happened at 12:59 p.m., ac-
cording to a report from DPS spokesman
Tony Fulton. Firefighters didn’t try to extin-
guish the fire until about 3:15 p.m., when they
trained hoses onto the flames.
Initially, the cargo of the tanker was un-
known. Later reports said it was lube oil.
West theorized that Jones could have fallen
asleep or had a heart attack. He didn’t suspect
he was texting on a smart phone.
“I see a lot of them (texters) on the road,”
West said. “They go back and forth.”
When Jones crossed the center stripe, he
wasn’t weaving, West said.
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THE STONEWALL COURIER | THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 3
A little bit of everything
Chris Blackburn/The Stonewall Courier
Danny and Patty Ellison have been holding a flea market weekly on Saturdays and Sundays in
Aspermont. The flea market is located at 305 E. Swenson behind The Gift Bucket and Ellison In-
sulation.
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Courtesy photo
Local high school seniors were treated recently to a hamburger luncheon at Stonewall Memorial
Hospital as a way of not only honoring the students upon their successful graduation but also
showcasing available career opportunities within rural healthcare.
Local hospital hosts career day
The Stonewall Courier
All high school seniors at Aspermont
ISD were treated to a hamburger luncheon
at Stonewall Memorial Hospital and Rural
Care Clinic recently.
Hospital Administrator Andy Kolb said
the purpose of the visit was twofold: honor-
ing the students upon their graduation and
demonstrating the various aspects of the
hospital that showcase available career op-
portunities.
“The students freely asked questions and
remarked they learned quite a lot about the
medical professions that are available to
them,” Kolb said. “The students were also
shown the business side of running a hos-
pital, and given information on where that
could lead them in a career choice.”
The students were also taken to the Gib-
son Care Center and given a full tour of the
facility by Administrator Steve King.
Parents & Businesses
0 Aspermont
Show your support to
the class of 2013 with
a congratulatory ad in
the May 23rd edition of
the Stonewall Courier!
E-mail: stonewallcourier@gmail.com • Phone: 800-400-1083
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Hodgin, Wayne. The Stonewall Courier (Aspermont, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 16, 2013, newspaper, May 16, 2013; Childress, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth741287/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Stonewall County Library.