On December 10, 2010, David Clouser, who taught truck safety, was killed in Hamilton County, IN, when the van he was driving was hit by a semi-truck. The truck ran a red light, hit the driver’s-side door, and pushed the van up against a tree, killing David instantly. His other two passengers were pinned in the van. Extensive time and effort was required to get all three out of the damaged van.
The semi-truck driver, who was traveling at 59 mph when he ran the red light and struck the van, had a criminal record and refused to take a breathalyzer and a blood draw after the crash. The driver had served two jail sentences: the first for criminal recklessness and theft, and the second for a conviction on two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. In spite of this history, the driver was able to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License. In addition, the semi had multiple safety violations at the time of the crash that should have prevented it from being on the road.