A fatal semi-truck crash has shocked Missouri authorities and residents after charges that the truck driver involved purposely caused the accident and did so because he felt was being led by God to do it. Two people died in the tragic Seymour truck crash.
Two Dead After Bizarre Missouri Truck Crash
The crash occurred in Seymour, Missouri, in the late afternoon of Wednesday, January 25, 2017. A couple, 48-year-old Tisha Biggs and 47-year-old Leo Walker was traveling westbound in a pickup truck and stopped in the far right lane at a red light on U.S. 60. In front of them, also stopped at the red light, was a semi-truck driven by 63-year-old Clarence Comins of Kansas City, Missouri.
As the three sat at the red light, a second semi-truck, this one driven by 33-year-old Adam Housley, slammed into the back of the pickup driven by Walker, crushing the vehicle between Housley’s semi and the one driven by Comins. The impact was enough to send Housley’s semi-truck into the air and then crashing down onto its right side.
Both Walker and Biggs were pronounced dead at the scene of the truck crash, as well as a dog traveling with them inside the pickup. Neither Comins nor Housley suffered any injuries.
Strange Statements by Semi Driver After Seymour Truck Crash
Following the Seymour truck crash, Housley reportedly began exhibiting aggressive behavior. In the probable cause statement against Housley, Missouri state troopers said Housley “became combative and pushed” a Seymour police officer at the scene.
In response, officers detained Housley and put him in the back of a patrol car. During this time, Housley allegedly said, “God told me to do it,” and “it’s my destiny.” The remarks were heard by a trooper, Webster County sheriff’s deputy, and a Seymour officer. According to a deputy, Housley went on to say, “God wants you to shoot me; God wants you to kill me.”
The crash occurred around 3:45 p.m. An hour later Housley was read his Miranda rights and interviewed at the Seymour Police Department, at which point troopers performed field sobriety tests on him. As they conducted the tests, one trooper noticed strange behavior exhibited by Housley. In the probable cause statement, the trooper detailed his observations.
“I noticed his speech to be slow and deliberate at times. I also noticed some of his responses were delayed as he would stare at me for a short amount of time before answering.” The trooper further noted that Housley’s eyes appeared to be watery and glassy and that his pupils looked constricted.
A breath test done for alcohol came back negative, and Housley’s blood is currently being tested at a state crime lab.
Witnesses Saw Reckless Behavior Before Truck Accident
Even prior to the Seymour truck crash, witnesses reportedly saw Housley acting dangerously. A Norwood man told troopers that he saw Housley run a red light about two miles east of the eventual crash location.
“He ran the first red light by 500 feet,” the witness said.
A different witness, who saw the actual accident, said that Housley was on his phone immediately prior to the crash and that he had even gotten on his CB radio to tell Housley to get off the phone, which, according to the witness, was right in front of Housley’s face.
The closest witness to the crash was a man stopped in the left lane of westbound traffic at the same light as Biggs and Walker. That witness saw Housley approach the stopped traffic in the lane beside him at a high speed, and told troopers that Housley “never hit the brakes.”
Erratic Speech Continues
Initially, under arrest for careless and imprudent driving, Housley was taken to Webster County Jail in Marshfield. Once there, Housley began talking about the Seymour truck crash again. He made statements like, “it was God” and “something happened.”
When asked what happened, he responded, “I don’t know that you want to know” and, “God told me to do it,” but then switched track and said, “I don’t have your answers.”
Eventually, when troopers asked if he wanted to hurt himself, Housley said, “I’m ready to go to heaven.”
At one point, Housley also said that the truck he was driving didn’t slow down when he hit the brakes.
Truck Driver to Face Two Murder Charges
On Thursday, January 26, 2017, the Webster County prosecuting attorney charged Housley with two counts of second-degree murder. The prosecutor believes that Housley “knowingly or with the purpose of causing serious physical injury” crashed his tractor-trailer into the pickup truck driven by Walker.
Seeking a $750,000 bond, the prosecutor said that in addition to the statements Housley made about God causing him to crash his semi-truck, he had also “made statements to family indicating he has been homicidal.”
If he is convicted, Housley could face life in prison.
The Investigation Continues
While Housley’s blood continues to be tested at the state crime lab, the Seymour truck crash is being investigated by authorities, including the Major Crash Unit Investigative Team, the Division of Drug and Crime Control investigators, Missouri state troopers, the Webster County Sheriff’s Department, and the Seymour Police Department.
Investigators will look at Housley’s phone records, as well as data from the two semi-trucks involved. In the meantime, Housley will stay in jail unless he posts a $750,000 bond.
Intentional car crashes are relatively uncommon but do happen. On Christmas Eve of 2016, an Alaska man was charged with second-degree attempted murder after allegedly attempting to kill himself and his wife by crashing while driving in the Colorado mountains. He had ingested edible marijuana prior to the incident.
Murder charges against truck drivers are more often related to driving while intoxicated, as was the case with a Branson, Missouri man charged on January 18, 2017, with three felonies, including second-degree murder. The charges stemmed from a November 30, 2016, accident in which the concrete truck driver lost control and crashed into a car, killing the 34-year old driver. Commercial truck drivers are not allowed to use alcohol or be under the influence of alcohol at any level while driving. It was his fifth incident of driving while intoxicated.
