The highway patrol reports an Odessa man was hurt when the car he was driving hit the rear of a tractor-trailer unit that was stopped on Highway 116 in Caldwell County. Reports indicate visibility was obstructed at the time of the crash.
Sixty-nine-year-old David Bannister of Odessa was taken to Liberty Hospital with serious injuries. The truck driver, 35-year-old Emery Englehardt of Butler, was not reported hurt. Two passengers in the truck, 57-year-old James Wendt and 24-year-old Zachery Wojeski, both of Bethany, were not reported hurt.
The accident happened shortly before 7 o’clock Saturday evening on Highway 116 at Brangus Road in southwestern Caldwell County, about four miles east of Interstate 35, as the car was eastbound on Highway 116 when it hit the rear of the truck. The reason the truck was stopped in the eastbound lane was not listed by the patrol, although the patrol reports the sight distance was obstructed by dirt and debris raised by a third vehicle not involved in the accident.
The car driven by Bannister was demolished and the tractor-trailer unit received minor damage. Bannister and Englehardt were not wearing seat belts, but the two passengers in the truck were.
