LEWISVILLE - The North Texas Tollway Authority has admitted that one of its dump truck drivers was most likely responsible for a fiery pile-up Thursday on Highway 121 at Interstate 35E in Lewisville.
The cab of a burning semi was left hanging off the side of an overpass after colliding with a dump truck and street sweeper and then a pickup.
No one was injured in the wreck.
"We're not making any judgments or conclusions," said Allen Clemson, NTTA's executive director. "The video is obvious, it's going to be obvious to everyone when they see it, that our vehicle did pull out in front of a moving 18-wheeler, which led to the accident."
"We want to be responsible here but we just need to wait a few days until we can draw our final conclusion," he added.
The truck driver, 52-year-old Abebe Sbhat, is still a paid NTTA employee and will return to work on Monday. No disciplinary action will be taken until a full internal review is completed by the Authority and the Department of Public Safety.
The driver worked for the NTTA for 12 years, two of which were as a driver. He has a clean record.
Clemson also assured the public that the structural integrity of the ramp is safe for travel.
The authorities say a semi truck merged onto 121. An NTTA dump truck sweeper clipped the semi, causing it to swerve.
The 18-wheeler then slammed into a pickup truck and both crashed into the wall of the bridge, the cab of the semi falling over the edge.
The semi-truck driver, Randy Pierce, jumped out of the cab, just as it caught fire.
"If I would have gone out the driver door where the flames were, it was straight down [to the river]," he said. "So, I went out the passenger door."
"Somebody was watching over me," he added. "It wasn't my time yet."
E-mail: sgables@wfaa.com
