DEATH RIG DRIVER
Driver Was Awake For 34 Hours -- Not Using Drugs Or Alcohol
Lake Butler, FL -- 1/27/06 A truck driver who plowed into a car at a school bus stop last week killing seven children had been awake for 34 hours, except for a short nap, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday - it appears he did it without the help of any drugs, as tests came back negative.
David Rayburn, the lead investigator for the Lake Butler crash, said the 31-year-old truck driver, Alvin Wilkerson, was refusing to talk to investigators about the crash.
"His attorney doesn't want him talking," Rayburn said.
Rayburn and Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Leeper refused to release the attorney's name.
The trucker was cited in 2000 for driving with a suspended license and twice, in 2000 and 2001, for operating a vehicle in unsafe condition, according to state officials. Wilkerson also has a criminal history. He was arrested and charged in 1997 with accessory after the fact to murder. Wilkerson was also charged and convicted of solicitation of prostitution in 1999.
Jack Peetz, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Crete Carrier Corp. of Lincoln, Neb., the trucking company Wilkerson drove for, issued a statement Friday afternoon.
"As the National Transportation Safety Board announced, its statements today were preliminary and its investigation will be on-going. Like the NTSB, our desire is to determine the cause of the accident," Peetz said.
Blood tests showed Wilkerson had not been using alcohol or drugs, Leeper said. Rayburn said Wilkerson was not using his cell phone at the time of the accident.
No charges have been filed against Wilkerson, although a criminal investigation continues.
Rayburn said fatigue was one of many factors being looked into it as the cause of the crash.
"He was driving quite a bit during those 34 hours," Rayburn said, adding that Wilkerson was making deliveries and loading and unloading his truck.
At the time of the crash, Wilkerson was driving a load of bottled water from High Springs to Jacksonville, a trip of about 85 miles.
The NTSB, using an identical school bus and truck, determined the school bus should have been visible for about 3,000 feet (more than half a mile) and there was some light skid marks before hitting the car and pushing it into the school bus.
When asked when Wilkerson saw the bus, Rayburn said, "I don't know that he did."
Rayburn said there were no mechanical problems with any of the vehicles involved and a recorder on the truck did not show the impact. Investigators don't know if a dog riding in Wilkerson's truck played any part in the collision.
The NTSB investigation is expected to take about a year, while the Florida Highway Patrol said it's criminal probe will take a matter of weeks.
"Accidents happen. This was a tragedy. The truck driver plowed into them and killed them," Sheriff Jerry Whitehead said.
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Lawsuit Filed in Deadly Truck Crash
Union County, FL -- 2/9/06 The mother of two of seven children killed last month in a fiery accident in Union County has filed a lawsuit against the trucking company and semi driver involved in the crash.
Amanda Lee Scott is suing Nebraska-based Crete Carrier Corp. and the tractor-trailer's driver, Alvin E. Wilkerson of Jacksonville, over the deaths of her daughters, Ashley Keen, 14, and Miranda Finn, 10, the lawsuit states.
"She wants us to file the lawsuit to get some answers to find out how and why this happened," said attorney Mark Avera Wednesday. The Gainesville law firm of Avera & Avera is representing Scott with Lance Avera listed as the lead attorney.
Wilkerson had been awake more than 34 hours before the crash, according to initial findings from the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident.
The lawsuit alleges Wilkerson and the trucking company were both negligent in the crash - Wilkerson for violating regulations about how long he could operate the truck without a break, and the company for failing to adequately supervise its driver.
