Family Speaks Out On Cement Truck Crash

There is new controversy over the cause of a crash that shut down on Highway 169 for hours and sent two people to the hospital. The News On 6 heard from the driver of the cement truck who lost control and crashed. Now, the family of a construction worker injured in that wreck is speaking out. They say he'll suffer for the rest of his life.

News On 6's Jeffrey Smith reports why they say reckless driving is to blame.

It was a scary smash-up between a cement mixer and an asphalt truck. And it left both drivers in the emergency room.

"It's been pretty crazy, you know, staying the night in the hospital, not being prepared for that," said Nicole Nelson, injured worker's wife.

The cement driver says he rolled over because other drivers were braking suddenly. He says his load shifted and he skidded into the shoulder.

Shannon Beavers says the congestion was due to an asphalt truck that didn't give enough warning.

"I feel in my heart that if they would have had the adequate, proper signs up, none of this would have happened. Because they had no advance warning signs out, they had no advanced barricades up, reduced speeds signs ahead, anything of that nature," said Shanon Beavers, cement truck driver.

"James, as they call him at work, was on the side of the road, on the shoulder, you know, and he wasn't even moving," said Tammy Nelson, injured worker's mother.

But, James Nelson's family says Beavers is to blame.

"Anytime you hit somebody from behind, you are at fault," said Tammy.

She says signs like these give plenty of warning and that Beavers just wasn't paying attention. Now, James has a fractured vertebra and is out of work. Doctors say it will take 4 to 6 weeks to heal.

"And he can't work. He can't drive for a few weeks. And as you can see, he's got people to take care of," said Tammy,

James is married and has a nine-month-old daughter. His mom says she still can't believe her son stared down death this week. She has a message for drivers everywhere.

"All of us need to slow down on the road, pay attention to who's around. Nobody should be in that big of a hurry to get somewhere," said Tammy.

Nelson says it's extra hard on her family because worker's compensation is only 70% of James' income. She says it'll be a burden to raise a newborn the next few months without a full paycheck.