A Macon County Coroner's inquest last week ruled the death of Dallas Hollin Jr., 50, an Illinois truck driver, as accidental, according to a report in the Herald & Review. Hollin was killed in a freak accident when another trucker, who fell asleep at the wheel, sideswiped his stalled semi on the shoulder of Interstate 72 in Decatur, IL.
Hollin was driving early in the morning hours when he struck a deer, causing his rig to overheat, according to Illinois State trooper Adam Traxler. The trucker set out his emergency markers and waited for a tow truck.
The tow truck driver said he pulled over on the shoulder in front of Hollin's truck and had a brief conversation with Hollin before returning to the tow truck. As he began to lower the platform on his rig, the tow truck driver said he felt his vehicle shake as a doubles rig blew by him, the report says.
The doubles rig had just sideswiped Hollin's truck, hitting and killing Hollin as he stood on the shoulder. An autopsy determined that Hollin died of massive head trauma, coroner Michael E. Day said.
The driver of the doubles rig, whose name was withheld in the report, said he had fallen asleep, according to the state trooper. The driver’s logbook was in order and he did not appear to be impaired, the trooper said. He was cited for improper lane usage. His blood was drawn for alcohol and drug use; the toxicology report is pending.
