This case has stuck with me from way back during UM's early-90's glory days, and I recently re-watched it on that site that must not be named. For those unfamiliar or in need of a refresher, motorcyclist Jay Durham was traveling between Little Rock, AR and Canton, KS in the early morning hours of April 16, 1992 when he was struck from behind by a speeding tractor-trailer. Both he and his motorcycle became lodged in the truck's grill, but Jay managed to free himself and jump off when the truck appeared to be closing in on the rear of another big rig. From there, the gravely-injured Jay watched as his assailant pulled over and the got out to assess the damage. Shortly thereafter, a second trucker also pulled over and helped to pry Jay's bike from the truck's grill. The two men then appeared to search for Jay himself, but Jay (fearing they would "pull an Easy Rider" on him) hid in the shadows until they gave up the search and left. Despite his extensive injuries (including the loss of one leg below the knee), he was rescued by other passersby and managed to survive.

UM tried very hard to make this incident appear like a case of attempted foul play, but I believe that Jay was actually struck by a driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel. To me, that's the only logical explanation for why he was dragged such a long distance and why the driver apparently almost rear-ended another truck as well. I suppose it's possible that some trucker who didn't like Jay knew he would be taking the trip to Kansas and tried to take him out, but to me that just seems like too unlikely (and obviously inefficient) of a murder plan.

Beyond the circumstances behind the incident itself, there are a lot of other puzzling things surrounding the case:

*UM made no mention of any witnesses ever coming forward, despite the fact that a speeding big rig dragging a bike and a biker must have made for quite a show. I realize it was in the wee hours and the highway obviously wasn't experiencing heavy traffic...but come on, NOBODY? Even after the fact?
*No one ever came forward claiming to have repaired the truck after the incident. Based on the condition of Jay's bike as well as the large amount of antifreeze found at the accident site, investigators believed that the truck would have sustained significant damage.
*The second trucker who pulled over to help free the motorcycle has also never surfaced. RS stated that investigators believed "he is completely innocent and had been told the truck hit a parked, riderless bike," but that doesn't make sense to me. How many "parked, riderless" vehicles are EVER found on interstate highways? Also, given the extensive injuries Jay suffered, the motorcycle and grill of the truck must have been covered in blood--wouldn't he have noticed that? I think it's more likely that the second trucker (who was obviously radioed by the first) was sworn to secrecy in a quid pro quo deal or something like that. Perhaps the mechanic who repaired the truck was silenced in a similar fashion.

While I believe that this case was merely an unfortunate accident with a poorly-handled aftermath, I feel badly that Jay Durham has never received any answers or closure. For what it's worth, though, someone claiming to be his daughter recently began posting on the aformentioned site that must not be named and stated that he is still alive and doing well.

Your thoughts on this case?

Been discussed before on here. I'm personally not a stickler for such things as its a pain to go and hunt through 1000 threads to get discussion on something you want to so no heat from me on that. :lol:

I don't agree with your assesment that it was an accident though. Just don't see how it could have been. Some of the board thought the trucker might have fallen asleep at the wheel, but he continued to push Jay for a good long way even after he hit him.

However, the points you make about why no one reported fixing the truck, the other driver not coming forward, that is all strange and I have no answer.

Also, I've always been confused as to what the motive could have been. If Jay had any enemies who also happened to be truckers I would think that would been an immediate red flag. If it was a random act of violence that seems odd to, a trucker just decided slow night what the hell I'll just run down a biker? Possible but unlikely.

I think its possible this guy had a run in with bikers and either took it out on poor Jay, or else he might have even mistaken him for someone else.

Strange case, I also like you wouldn't be so quick to exoerate the other driver. Truckers communicate through CB radio, he could have easily been in on it. And surely he must have been suspicous for the reasons you pointed out.

This case has stuck with me from way back during UM's early-90's glory days, and I recently re-watched it on that site that must not be named. For those unfamiliar or in need of a refresher, motorcyclist Jay Durham was traveling between Little Rock, AR and Canton, KS in the early morning hours of April 16, 1992 when he was struck from behind by a speeding tractor-trailer. Both he and his motorcycle became lodged in the truck's grill, but Jay managed to free himself and jump off when the truck appeared to be closing in on the rear of another big rig. From there, the gravely-injured Jay watched as his assailant pulled over and the got out to assess the damage. Shortly thereafter, a second trucker also pulled over and helped to pry Jay's bike from the truck's grill. The two men then appeared to search for Jay himself, but Jay (fearing they would "pull an Easy Rider" on him) hid in the shadows until they gave up the search and left. Despite his extensive injuries (including the loss of one leg below the knee), he was rescued by other passersby and managed to survive.

UM tried very hard to make this incident appear like a case of attempted foul play, but I believe that Jay was actually struck by a driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel. To me, that's the only logical explanation for why he was dragged such a long distance and why the driver apparently almost rear-ended another truck as well. I suppose it's possible that some trucker who didn't like Jay knew he would be taking the trip to Kansas and tried to take him out, but to me that just seems like too unlikely (and obviously inefficient) of a murder plan.

Beyond the circumstances behind the incident itself, there are a lot of other puzzling things surrounding the case:

*UM made no mention of any witnesses ever coming forward, despite the fact that a speeding big rig dragging a bike and a biker must have made for quite a show. I realize it was in the wee hours and the highway obviously wasn't experiencing heavy traffic...but come on, NOBODY? Even after the fact?
*No one ever came forward claiming to have repaired the truck after the incident. Based on the condition of Jay's bike as well as the large amount of antifreeze found at the accident site, investigators believed that the truck would have sustained significant damage.
*The second trucker who pulled over to help free the motorcycle has also never surfaced. RS stated that investigators believed "he is completely innocent and had been told the truck hit a parked, riderless bike," but that doesn't make sense to me. How many "parked, riderless" vehicles are EVER found on interstate highways? Also, given the extensive injuries Jay suffered, the motorcycle and grill of the truck must have been covered in blood--wouldn't he have noticed that? I think it's more likely that the second trucker (who was obviously radioed by the first) was sworn to secrecy in a quid pro quo deal or something like that. Perhaps the mechanic who repaired the truck was silenced in a similar fashion.

While I believe that this case was merely an unfortunate accident with a poorly-handled aftermath, I feel badly that Jay Durham has never received any answers or closure. For what it's worth, though, someone claiming to be his daughter recently began posting on the aformentioned site that must not be named and stated that he is still alive and doing well.

Your thoughts on this case?

I have already discussed on this forum a couple times how I strongly feel this was no accident, so I won't repeat it here.

But even if this an accident (which is highly unlikely), that doesn't release the trucker from responsibility. If you can't stay awake on the road, you don't have any business being on the road. The trucker is guilty no matter which way you slice it.

I need to watch this one again and I don't think it's in my collection. IMO, the only thing that would point to this being an accident would be if the trucker believed he'd really hit an abandoned bike on the side of the road so didn't spend much time looking for a victim thrown from the scene.

But didn't Jay say that he thought it was a deliberate act and that the two truckers seemed to be looking for him to silence him rather than help?

It's possible that one reason the truckers didn't call for an ambulance or cops is because the semi driver was drinking or was using drugs. Plus, an accident on his driving record could mean all kinds of trouble with his job, even if he didn't do it intentionally. The drivers and their employers also keep track of their "accident-free miles".

If officials showed up to an accident scene involving a semi, chances are that driver's rig is going to be searched and thoroughly inspected. Even if he's totally innocent, he could be ticketed for a marker light being out (one light of a zillion on the tractor and trailer), or for a cord hanging too low from the top of the cab and touching the truck bed. They have all kinds of tedious regulations.

In MI, it's against the law to leave the scene of an accident. I don't know about the state laws where this guy was, but there was obvious property damage (the bike was totalled) so it's reasonable to think that cops should have been called. If there was blood on the grill, the trucker knew he'd hit a person and not just a bike so he was trying to get away with it.

At this point, I'm not surprised that there were no witnesses. I thought for sure there'd be someone who had witnessed the 10 mile expressway stop and go chase of Dick Hansen and "Jean" in the 49RSHUGS case, but locals commented that the part of the expressway it happened on was fairly desolate at that time of night. Plus I've learned, people aren't paying attention or plain just don't care. Three years ago, dozens of drivers saw my daughter's car flip and roll down a hill on an expressway entrance ramp. One guy in a pickup stopped to help. Everyone else just enjoyed the show and kept on going.

As far as the damage to the front end of the truck, there are a lot of places that do repairs and depending on the story the driver gave them, there wouldn't be any suspicions. Especially in another state where the case may not have been well known.

I don't know how long the guy could have driven with his radiator fluid leaking out like that though. You'd figure he'd have to stop and get that worked on pretty quickly, unless it was just a torn hose, then he'd probably be able to do a temporary repair himself and get out of town.

If the second trucker wasn't involved, I can see where he'd believe the abandoned bike story. I'm always seeing abandoned vehicles on the side of the expressways around here.

If the grill of the truck was covered in blood, the second trucker (if innocent) may not have noticed it in the dark. Or because of the darkness, it could have been mistaken for radiator fluid that was leaking. Once the driver noticed blood on the grill of his truck, all he had to do was pull into one of the Truck Wash truck stops and clean it off... no witnesses.

All that being said, I can believe this was intentional. In the 80s, three truckers played a cat and mouse game with my husband and me for about an hour. We were driving an old volkswagen bug. The truckers got us in between two semis in our lane, then the third came along side and boxed us in. I'm sure they were having a blast, but my husband and I were teenagers and not used to wrestling with demented truckers on the expressway. It was a tight sqeeze, and if they didn't have complete control of their trucks, we would have been squished.

Just watched this segment on the unnamed video streaming site.

To my way of viewing this appears to have been a tragic accident where a careless driver hit a motorcyclist at night. The type of truck that struck him ( depicted as being a Freightliner) has a long nose and so if the driver struck something, unless it was a car, it may not have initially registered.

I do, however, believe that when the driver got out of his truck he DID realize that he had struck a motorcyclist and attempted to get rid of the evidence,although not too well as he simply could have had the other driver help him load the motorcycle into the rear of the truck.

There three reasons that I think that this case could have been solved sooner:

1) The men that pull the motorcycle from beneath the truck probably weren't wearing gloves. So I am surprised that no usable prints were found.

2) The damage to the truck (#1): There should have been pieces of the truck littering the highway. An analysis of the pieces would have determined what type of truck it was and what repair parts would need to be ordered to fix it.

3) The damage to the truck (#2) - Assuming that this truck wasn't privately owned (but even if it was) the amount of the coolant leak would have required the driver to seek an immediate repair within (at the most) 50 miles of the scene of accident.

Unless the driver paid cash and used "Midnight Truck Repair" there should be a written record of the work having been done.

Wow, a lot of interesting points across the board on this case!

First of all, my apologies for starting a brand-new thread on it. My initial Google search didn't reveal a thread devoted solely to it (only mention of it in other case threads), but when I used the internal search feature after posting, I found several. My bad, yo. :D

Although I can see compelling arguments on both sides, I still lean toward this being an accidental hit (though definitely NOT an accidental run). Could the driver have been asleep at the wheel? Absolutely, and if he were extremely tired (or perhaps even under the influence of alcohol/drugs), his response time would have been slowed even after he came to his senses. The impact may have jarred him awake, but if the motorcycle and/or Jay weren't visible over the hood of the truck, he may not have realized immediately what he had hit. If the truck were equipped with cruise control, that would also explain why it kept going at full speed.

Although stranger things have happened, that to me seems like the most logical explanation. It just seems like too impractical a way to murder someone, and to chalk it up to a random act of violence seems even more bizarre.

That said, though, I agree that the driver's innocence (if he had any) ended immediately after he pulled over. His actions thereafter as well as those of his accessory-after-the-fact fellow driver clearly display an attempt to cover up the crime, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Jay were correct in his assessment that they would have "pull[ed] an Easy Rider" on him. Sadly, it's far from uncommon for people to cover up lesser crimes by resorting to higher crimes. ohno:

I've always found the detail that the driver seemed to be searching for Jay after the accident to be absolutely chilling. I'm not sure if it's just the way UM portrayed the incident, or what, but I think this is a pretty scary segment.

Jay stated that he had to jump off the truck because the trucker was going to ram it into the truck ahead. This indicates that the truck was picking up speed. Which indicates that the trucker was awake because a truck can't pick up speed on its own accord. If the trucker was asleep, the truck would either stay at the same speed if it was on cruise control, or decelerate because the trucker isn't applying pressure on the gas pedal. You can't put pressure on the gas pedal if you are asleep.

Plus, how likely is it that someone who is asleep can keep the truck moving in a straight line? Not very. It's going to weave around if not outright go off the road.

Jay stated that he had to jump off the truck because the trucker was going to ram it into the truck ahead. This indicates that the truck was picking up speed. Which indicates that the trucker was awake because a truck can't pick up speed on its own accord. If the trucker was asleep, the truck would either stay at the same speed if it was on cruise control, or decelerate because the trucker isn't applying pressure on the gas pedal. You can't put pressure on the gas pedal if you are asleep.

Plus, how likely is it that someone who is asleep can keep the truck moving in a straight line? Not very. It's going to weave around if not outright go off the road.

Good points and agreed, exactly what I was thinking though I had yet to really articulate it. The more I think about this the more I believe there is no way this was an accident.

But the question remains what was the motive and was the other drive involved or just a bystander?

If the 2nd driver, who helped the guy get the stuck bike off the front of the truck, just thought that the 1st driver hit an abandoned bike on the shoulder of the road, would he be in any trouble for not going to authorities if he saw this segment in any of the millions of times it's aired?

If he's seen this segment, he must have realized that he helped the 1st driver commit a hit and run that nearly resulted in death. If I were in his place, I'd just tell the cops what happened. So I'm kind of wondering....

One possible scenario:

The 1st trucker could have used his CB asking for help from passing truckers (strangers), or the 2nd guy drove by and saw the 1st guy having some kind of trouble, so he stopped to help. If the CB was used, they could have communicated using their handles or they may have just said something like, "hey I'm the Blue Peterbuilt coming up to mile marker number whatever, I'll be there in a minute".

In that case, the 2nd trucker isn't aware that there's a victim. He helps the guy out and they go on their way. He has information like what kind of truck was involved, it's color, the kind of damage it had, the description of the driver, what he was wearing, what CB handle he used, etc.

Another scenario:

The 2 truckers work for the same company, are travelling together (they definitely do this sometimes), and are friends. If the 2nd guy was a mile behind his friend, he may not have known there was a victim, but he still has all the information the police need.

But, if he knew about Jay at the time of the accident (or even if he only realized what happened after he saw the UM segment) then he's got all the info AND he's involved in covering up a serious injury accident.

But the question remains what was the motive and was the other drive involved or just a bystander?
I'm guessing Jay said something to a trucker or there was some earlier altercation. I think that is the most logical explanation.

Jay stated that he had to jump off the truck because the trucker was going to ram it into the truck ahead. This indicates that the truck was picking up speed. Which indicates that the trucker was awake because a truck can't pick up speed on its own accord. If the trucker was asleep, the truck would either stay at the same speed if it was on cruise control, or decelerate because the trucker isn't applying pressure on the gas pedal. You can't put pressure on the gas pedal if you are asleep.

Actually, it doesn't indicate that the truck was picking up speed. It only indicates that it was traveling faster than the truck it nearly hit. Which means my cruise control theory still makes sense.

Plus, how likely is it that someone who is asleep can keep the truck moving in a straight line? Not very. It's going to weave around if not outright go off the road.

Truck steering wheels are "tighter" than those on small trucks and cars and take more effort to turn. Otherwise, they pretty much stay in place and can't be knocked around easily.

Truck steering wheels are "tighter" than those on small trucks and cars and take more effort to turn. Otherwise, they pretty much stay in place and can't be knocked around easily.

I wasn't talking about steering wheels. I said that if he fell asleep like you claim, it would be nearly impossible for the truck to stay moving in a straight line, for who knows what length of time. Eventually it is going to weave and/or go off the road because nobody is operating the steering wheel. And if he encounters a curve in the road, that is also true.

You seem really desperate to cling on to the slim chance that this was an accident, but even if that is true, like I said above, that doesn't release him from responsibility. If a person cannot stay awake, they have no business behind the wheel, and that goes tenfold for a truck driver, who is operating a large piece of machinery and can potentially cause a catastrophe of major proportions if he falls asleep. The guy is guilty any way you slice it.

I'm guessing Jay said something to a trucker or there was some earlier altercation. I think that is the most logical explanation.

If Jay had had an altercation with a trucker, don't you think that would have been an immediate red flag for someone to be investigated? Of course, its always possible that Jay was unaware the person was a trucker when it occured and he didn't consider them.

I lean more towards it being a case where Jay might have been mistaken for someone else. It was a dark interstate highway and it would have been hard to identify someone. Bikers have been known to frequent truck stops, there could have been an altercation between this trucker and another biker, and the trucker in retaliation tried to run over him, only he hit the wrong man.

If Jay had had an altercation with a trucker, don't you think that would have been an immediate red flag for someone to be investigated? Of course, its always possible that Jay was unaware the person was a trucker when it occured and he didn't consider them.

I lean more towards it being a case where Jay might have been mistaken for someone else. It was a dark interstate highway and it would have been hard to identify someone. Bikers have been known to frequent truck stops, there could have been an altercation between this trucker and another biker, and the trucker in retaliation tried to run over him, only he hit the wrong man.
Yes he could have been unaware that the person was a trucker.

And Jay being mistaken for someone else also seems plausible.

For the people who are claiming that the driver may have run him over "on purpose" one question: Why bother to stop if that was the case?

The driver would have to know (or at least suspect) that he would be unable to do this and not be seen by passing drivers. Why not simply run over the motorcyclist (or more likely sideswipe him) and then leave the area quickly?
It's obvious that this what the driver did after he dislodged the motorcycle from his grill.

One of the dirty little "secrets" of criminal law is that if you want to kill somebody and get little or no time for doing it, hit them w/ a vehicle. It will likely be called involuntary manslaughter or may even just be written off as a tragic accident.Truck drivers know this and some have used it to their advantage.

Had this driver stopped and waited for authorities, this wouldn't have been a "unsolved mystery": it would have been a resolved accident and the driver may have received some time or nothing at all depending on the evidence found.

For the people who are claiming that the driver may have run him over "on purpose" one question: Why bother to stop if that was the case?

IIRC, the trucker didn't stop out of concern, but was forced to stop so he could dislodge the motorcycle that was stuck to the front of his truck. (In the reenactment, it was stuck under the bumper.)

Whether it was an accident or a deliberate act, he had to stop to pull the bike off his truck. And it was stuck so solidly that he had to have help removing it.

IIRC, the trucker didn't stop out of concern, but was forced to stop so he could dislodge the motorcycle that was stuck to the front of his truck. (In the reenactment, it was stuck under the bumper.)

Whether it was an accident or a deliberate act, he had to stop to pull the bike off his truck. And it was stuck so solidly that he had to have help removing it.

Actually (and I just thought about this) if two men could have removed the bike from the front of the truck, the driver could simply stopped and backed up to do the same thing.

I didn't think that he stopped out of concern (well, concern for another human being that is); I didn't think that the hit was intentional as sideswiping or even bumping the rider would have had the same effect and not damaged the truck.

I wasn't talking about steering wheels. I said that if he fell asleep like you claim, it would be nearly impossible for the truck to stay moving in a straight line, for who knows what length of time. Eventually it is going to weave and/or go off the road because nobody is operating the steering wheel. And if he encounters a curve in the road, that is also true.

You seem really desperate to cling on to the slim chance that this was an accident, but even if that is true, like I said above, that doesn't release him from responsibility. If a person cannot stay awake, they have no business behind the wheel, and that goes tenfold for a truck driver, who is operating a large piece of machinery and can potentially cause a catastrophe of major proportions if he falls asleep. The guy is guilty any way you slice it.

I'm not clinging to anything. Of course it could have been accidental or intentional, but I personally believe the evidence favors an accidental hit (but NOT an accidental run).

All I'm saying is if the driver fell asleep without jostling the steering wheel and cruise control were in place, it would be possible for the truck to keep going in a straight line for a reasonable distance. Remember, this is Arkansas and Kansas we're talking about, with pancake-flat terrain and straight highways. To me, it seems most likely that the truck driver was asleep (and maybe drunk/stoned/whatever as well), hit Jay, took a while to come to his senses, pulled over, panicked, and radioed a friend to help him try to cover up the incident. As cocytus has pointed out, if the driver intentionally wanted to maim/kill Jay there were easier ways of pulling that off. And I don't buy for one minute that the hit-and-run driver intended to sandwich Jay between his own truck and the truck he was closing in on--that would have called even more attention to the crash, gotten another driver involved, and resulted in two damaged trucks rather than just one. To me it just doesn't make sense.

I'm not clinging to anything. Of course it could have been accidental or intentional, but I personally believe the evidence favors an accidental hit (but NOT an accidental run).

All I'm saying is if the driver fell asleep without jostling the steering wheel and cruise control were in place, it would be possible for the truck to keep going in a straight line for a reasonable distance. Remember, this is Arkansas and Kansas we're talking about, with pancake-flat terrain and straight highways. To me, it seems most likely that the truck driver was asleep (and maybe drunk/stoned/whatever as well), hit Jay, took a while to come to his senses, pulled over, panicked, and radioed a friend to help him try to cover up the incident. As cocytus has pointed out, if the driver intentionally wanted to maim/kill Jay there were easier ways of pulling that off. And I don't buy for one minute that the hit-and-run driver intended to sandwich Jay between his own truck and the truck he was closing in on--that would have called even more attention to the crash, gotten another driver involved, and resulted in two damaged trucks rather than just one. To me it just doesn't make sense.

1. the driver pulled to the side immediately after Jay had jumped off the truck. That would have to be an enormous coincidence if what you're saying is true. Notice the trucker didn't pull over the entire time Jay was on the front of the truck, and on the flip side, the trucker didn't drive any long distance after Jay jumped off, but pulled over immediately after Jay jumped off. That tells me he knew damn well Jay was on the front of his truck.

2. if this person was innocent, then why did they not attempt to get help for Jay? Not even pulling over to a pay phone and disguising his voice?

3. there were easier ways to pull it off? This appears to be 2 people that did not know each other, so this was the only time they had encountered one another. Not sure what other ways you are speaking of. And people get killed in all manner of ways.

4. well nobody has come forth with any other information that we know of, and we don't even know for a fact that the guy's truck was repaired, so an additional truck/driver being involved might not have been much of a difference. I think the driver figured he would lightly ram his truck into the other one, which would cause Jay to fall off and get trampled to death beneath. It didn't have to be a huge collision. Heck, I got stuck in the snow once and another driver offered to bump me in the back to get me out, which worked. So it doesn't have to be a large collision.

5. I have a problem with what you said in your first post "it was just an unfortunate accident". that is trivializing someobody's grief. This guy suffered the most extensive injuries of anybody that I know of on UM that lived to tell about it. I don't think he would be thrilled to hear somebody say "it was just an accident" And as I mentioned to above, the trucker making no attempt to help Jay WAS NO ACCIDENT!

I am really disappointed that several people on here are swinging towards the direction of "accident"

5. I have a problem with what you said in your first post "it was just an unfortunate accident". that is trivializing someobody's grief. This guy suffered the most extensive injuries of anybody that I know of on UM that lived to tell about it. I don't think he would be thrilled to hear somebody say "it was just an accident" And as I mentioned to above, the trucker making no attempt to help Jay WAS NO ACCIDENT!

I am really disappointed that several people on here are swinging towards the direction of "accident"

Obviously you feel strongly about this case, which is fine. After 18 years it's unlikely that the real truth will ever see the light of day, and I don't profess to be any closer to that elusive truth than anyone else. I just feel that (as is the case in many UM stories) it's possible to make a compelling argument on both sides--that's all.

When I said "it was an unfortunate accident," perhaps that was a poor choice of words. I in NO WAY intended to trivialize Mr. Durham's horrific injuries, his ultimate survival (which frankly was nothing short of miraculous), or his laudable rebuilding of his undoubtedly shattered life. All I meant was that I felt a case could be made for the IMPACT being accidental. If you read what I've posted, I NEVER excuse the hit-and-run driver for fleeing the scene. Even if it were an accidental hit, his behavior in its aftermath displayed both extreme cowardice and a callous disregard for human life, and he needs to be brought to justice for it.

Obviously you feel strongly about this case, which is fine. After 18 years it's unlikely that the real truth will ever see the light of day, and I don't profess to be any closer to that elusive truth than anyone else. I just feel that (as is the case in many UM stories) it's possible to make a compelling argument on both sides--that's all.

When I said "it was an unfortunate accident," perhaps that was a poor choice of words. I in NO WAY intended to trivialize Mr. Durham's horrific injuries, his ultimate survival (which frankly was nothing short of miraculous), or his laudable rebuilding of his undoubtedly shattered life. All I meant was that I felt a case could be made for the IMPACT being accidental. If you read what I've posted, I NEVER excuse the hit-and-run driver for fleeing the scene. Even if it were an accidental hit, his behavior in its aftermath displayed both extreme cowardice and a callous disregard for human life, and he needs to be brought to justice for it.

I don't think you are really thinking this through hard enough.

Jay was in front of the truck. They collided. Therefore, one of 2 things must have happened. Either.

A) the truck speeded up and hit Jay intentionally. OR
B) Jay decelerated in some fashion and hit the truck.

One of those 2 things must have happened. There is no other alternatives. No other way the 2 could have collided. And do you HONESTLY think Jay, knowing a semi is behind him, would have decelerated? highly unlikely.

I don't know what difference it would make if the truck driver intended to do this, or was drunk or stoned, or fell asleep or what. The bottom line is he's responsible.

Jay was in front of the truck. They collided. Therefore, one of 2 things must have happened. Either.

A) the truck speeded up and hit Jay intentionally. OR
B) Jay decelerated in some fashion and hit the truck.

One of those 2 things must have happened. There is no other alternatives. No other way the 2 could have collided. And do you HONESTLY think Jay, knowing a semi is behind him, would have decelerated? highly unlikely.

Actually, all it means is that the truck was traveling at a higher rate of speed than Jay was. If you're on the interstate traveling 65 mph, another vehicle can seemingly come out of nowhere behind you traveling 75/80 mph. Usually the faster driver will pass you, but if he/she didn't, you would be rear-ended. Neither outcome would require either vehicle to adjust its speed.

I don't know what difference it would make if the truck driver intended to do this, or was drunk or stoned, or fell asleep or what. The bottom line is he's responsible.

Never once did I say he wasn't responsible. Not once. All I've questioned is whether or not he had INTENT.

If this really were an unfortunate accident, why didn't the trucker immediately stop after the initial impact? If this trucker was asleep at the wheel or intoxicated you're first instinct when you hear or feel a loud thud is to hit your brakes. He sped up. I don't buy the accident theory. This could have very well be a random targeted attack, remember the four black youths who were ran off the road for no apparent reason? I think the other trucker who stopped was told by the trucker that he hit an abandoned bike which is why there wasn't any real search for Jay. Obviously Jay was scared enough to think the guy was looking to finish him off, and I think that says enough. You don't speed up when you're sleeping.

Had this driver stopped and waited for authorities, this wouldn't have been a "unsolved mystery": it would have been a resolved accident and the driver may have received some time or nothing at all depending on the evidence found.

Another reason why I don't think this was an accident.

If this really were an unfortunate accident, why didn't the trucker immediately stop after the initial impact? If this trucker was asleep at the well or intoxicated you're first instinct when you hear or feel a loud thud is to hit your brakes.

Sleep deprivation, alcohol, and drugs all slow your response times. For all anyone knows, the driver may have initially thought he DREAMT the impact.

He sped up. I don't buy the accident theory. This could have very well be a random targeted attack, remember the four black youths who were ran off the road for no apparent reason? I think the other trucker who stopped was told by the trucker that he hit an abandoned bike which is why there wasn't any real search for Jay. Obviously Jay was scared enough to think the guy was looking to finish him off, and I think that says enough. You don't speed up when you're sleeping.

The segment never mentions the driver "speeding up." It says he was "closing in fast on another tractor trailer." All that means is that he was traveling at a higher rate of speed than the tractor trailer ahead of him.

Another reason why I don't think this was an accident.

The driver easily could have abandoned the scene for the same reason that many people resort to higher crimes to cover up lesser crimes: fear of losing his job and/or of criminal or civil legal action.

The driver easily could have abandoned the scene for the same reason that many people resort to higher crimes to cover up lesser crimes: fear of losing his job and/or of criminal or civil legal action.

So after driving with something stuck on the front of his truck for an extended period of time, he finally decides to pull over and remove it? And then when he sees its a motorcycle he decides to not look for a rider and just assumes it was a parked vehicle? And he doesn't hit his brakes at all when he slams into Jay? If this guy was wasted/stoned/sleeping when he hit Jay, at what point did he realize he actually hit something and decided to stop?

If this were a simple accident, the driver would face the chance of receiving harsher charges for the simple fact of leaving an accident. And if he actually thought all it was were a parked bike, why not wait around or inform someone like the police? And if this were a simple accident this guy still should have performed some kind of search for a driver instead of just assuming there was none. Why would this guy fear losing his job or facing criminal charges if he indeed thought that the bike was abandoned?

So after driving with something stuck on the front of his truck for an extended period of time, he finally decides to pull over and remove it? And then when he sees its a motorcycle he decides to not look for a rider and just assumes it was a parked vehicle? And he doesn't hit his brakes at all when he slams into Jay? If this guy was wasted/stoned/sleeping when he hit Jay, at what point did he realize he actually hit something and decided to stop?

If this were a simple accident, the driver would face the chance of receiving harsher charges for the simple fact of leaving an accident. And if he actually thought all it was were a parked bike, why not wait around or inform someone like the police? And if this were a simple accident this guy still should have performed some kind of search for a driver instead of just assuming there was none. Why would this guy fear losing his job or facing criminal charges if he indeed thought that the bike was abandoned?

1) There's no telling if the driver had a warrant (or warrants) out against him.
2) He may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
3) There's no way of knowing what type of cargo he was carrying (which actually might explain more so than bad police work why no record was found of his vehicle being repaired). Reporting an accident might have lead to his vehicle being searched and something that he didn't want to be found...being found.
4) The truck and/or load may have been stolen. Not likely given the weigh stations along the highway, but you never can tell.

There are many reason why the initially hit was probably an accident, but everything that happened afterward was not.

1) There's no telling if the driver had a warrant (or warrants) out against him.
2) He may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
3) There's no way of knowing what type of cargo he was carrying (which actually might explain more so than bad police work why no record was found of his vehicle being repaired). Reporting an accident might have lead to his vehicle being searched and something that he didn't want to be found...being found.
4) The truck and/or load may have been stolen. Not likely given the weigh stations along the highway, but you never can tell.

There are many reason why the initially hit was probably an accident, but everything that happened afterward was not.

I'll give you number three, that actually seems very plausible. But to show a complete disregard of a possible driver to me shows something more sinister IMO. If he were worried about being fired or facing criminal charges, wouldn't you think it would be human nature (if this were truely nothing more than an unfortunate accident) to search for a driver and see if he/she was ok? And if he was carrying some sort of illegal cargo what guarantee would he have that the other trucker who stopped wouldn't report the accident to police?

I'll give you number three, that actually seems very plausible. But to show a complete disregard of a possible driver to me shows something more sinister IMO. If he were worried about being fired or facing criminal charges, wouldn't you think it would be human nature (if this were truely nothing more than an unfortunate accident) to search for a driver and see if he/she was ok? And if he was carrying some sort of illegal cargo what guarantee would he have that the other trucker who stopped wouldn't report the accident to police?

If he was carrying some illegal, he may have been more concerned about that than he was about the other driver calling the cops. He may have decided that he'd killed the motorcycle rider and needed to get out of there ASAP.

It's hard to say what truckers hit on the highway. I live an hour from Michigan and the roads up there this time of year are littered w/ dead deer that have been struck by trucks. A deer can be up to 300lbs of bone and muscle and I've never seen a semi stop after striking one. Perhaps the driver initially thought he's struck a deer until he saw the shower of sparks and heard the bike grinding against the highway.

After he stopped the truck, however, it was clear that he hadn't hit a deer and he needed to get out of the area (again because of his record or his cargo) which he did after removing the motorcycle from under his truck.

Like I was saying above, I think that the key to finding this guy would have been tracking where he had the repairs to his truck done. Unless he paid cash and made sure there were no records or did the work himself, there should have been records of the repair within 100 miles of the scene of the accident. Probably closer given the amount of coolant that the police stated was found at the scene and on the highway.

Find where the truck was fixed and then you'll find the driver.

If he was carrying some illegal, he may have been more concerned about that than he was about the other driver calling the cops. He may have decided that he'd killed the motorcycle rider and needed to get out of there ASAP.

It's hard to say what truckers hit on the highway. I live an hour from Michigan and the roads up there this time of year are littered w/ dead deer that have been struck by trucks. A deer can be up to 300lbs of bone and muscle and I've never seen a semi stop after striking one. Perhaps the driver initially thought he's struck a deer until he saw the shower of sparks and heard the bike grinding against the highway.

After he stopped the truck, however, it was clear that he hadn't hit a deer and he needed to get out of the area (again because of his record or his cargo) which he did after removing the motorcycle from under his truck.

Like I was saying above, I think that the key to finding this guy would have been tracking where he had the repairs to his truck done. Unless he paid cash and made sure there were no records or did the work himself, there should have been records of the repair within 100 miles of the scene of the accident. Probably closer given the amount of coolant that the police stated was found at the scene and on the highway.

Find where the truck was fixed and then you'll find the driver.

Just watched the segment again and I forgot that the two truckers actually did do a search for Jay after they dislodged the motorcylce. But that was only after the other trucker stopped. I still think one of the keys to solving this would be to find this other trucker. This guy didn't suspect anything at all by pulling a cycle from the grill of the rig? Wouldn't this guy want to wait around to see if the police showed up to be a witness to the accident? I do think that's a pretty good scenario though, that would explain why the guy didn't wait around after he almost certainly knew he hit someone. Maybe he was transporting drugs and didn't want to face even more serious charges thrown at him. But then why wait around and do a search with the other trucker if he wanted to get the hell out of dodge? The fact that he started a search for a driver after the other trucker stopped tells me that he originally had no intention of looking for a driver. Based off that alone I don't think this was an accident, IMO.

And if this guy was in a deep sleep or heavily intoxicated how did he keep the truck so steady? Wouldn't he have driven off the road if he were sleeping? If he was dozing in and out of sleep he would have awoken at the initial impact and would have hit the brakes.

Just watched the segment again and I forgot that the two truckers actually did do a search for Jay after they dislodged the motorcylce. But that was only after the other trucker stopped. I still think one of the keys to solving this would be to find this other trucker. This guy didn't suspect anything at all by pulling a cycle from the grill of the rig? Wouldn't this guy want to wait around to see if the police showed up to be a witness to the accident? I do think that's a pretty good scenario though, that would explain why the guy didn't wait around after he almost certainly knew he hit someone. Maybe he was transporting drugs and didn't want to face even more serious charges thrown at him. But then why wait around and do a search with the other trucker if he wanted to get the hell out of dodge? The fact that he started a search for a driver after the other trucker stopped tells me that he originally had no intention of looking for a driver. Based off that alone I don't think this was an accident, IMO.

And if this guy was in a deep sleep or heavily intoxicated how did he keep the truck so steady? Wouldn't he have driven off the road if he were sleeping? If he was dozing in and out of sleep he would have awoken at the initial impact and would have hit the brakes.

Cruise control and the weight of the truck will largely keep the vehicle straight on the road. Any weaving will cause the truck to contact the "rumble strips" on the shoulder and will the wake the driver up.

The other driver may not have even considered to have been a serious incident and like so many things that people do, he may have forgotten. Like I was saying, the roads in Michigan are littered w/ dead deer struck by trucks.I doubt if the drivers even remember it happening as it happens so often.

The other driver may also have had tickets,warrants,etc that would have initially prevented him from coming forward. As time passed, the thought of coming forward may have been forgotten or maybe he is ashamed that he did nothing at the time. There's no way of telling.

Honestly, the time to have found the driver that hit him and the other driver would have been within the first few weeks of the accident., but I can imagine that he was in no shape to do that and the police didn't seem to have taken this too seriously. After any real time had passed, evidence would be gone and witnesses would be scattered or had time to fabricate a story.

Cruise control and the weight of the truck will largely keep the vehicle straight on the road. Any weaving will cause the truck to contact the "rumble strips" on the shoulder and will the wake the driver up.

Forgot about cruise control on vehicles. But if the driver could easily have been awakened by rumble strips on the side of the road, why did it take so long for him to pull over? After the impact the driver should have immediately woke up and applied his brakes. The fact that the trucker waited until after Jay jumped from the vehicle could be telling as well. Maybe he was trying to kill him and thought he was dead but needed to get the cycle unattached and that is the only reason he pulled over.

Were rumble strips as common on highways back then as they are now?

Forgot about cruise control on vehicles. But if the driver could easily have been awakened by rumble strips on the side of the road, why did it take so long for him to pull over? After the impact the driver should have immediately woke up and applied his brakes. The fact that the trucker waited until after Jay jumped from the vehicle could be telling as well. Maybe he was trying to kill him and thought he was dead but needed to get the cycle unattached and that is the only reason he pulled over.

We really don't know how long the bike was underneath the truck. It probably couldn't have been that long as:

1) Mr. Durham survived the encounter. If he had been dragged for more than a few miles this probably wouldn't have been the case.
2)The driver had to realize in a pretty short order that there was something under his vehicle and his truck was being damaged. While he may have "thought" that whatever it was might dislodge itself, after only short period it would become obvious that it would not.
3) If the driver was doing 60-70mph, then he would have gone more than a mile in about a minute. So two minutes of driving would have put him three miles past the impact point or farther if he was driving faster.

Let's say that he hit the bike, thought whatever it was would just go under the tractor and the trailer, found that it wouldn't, braked and pulled over. We are probably talking at least 3 minutes and possibly as long as 6-7 minutes. That would put him close to 8 miles away from the area of initial impact.

While probably seemed to last forever to Mr. Durham (and rightly so), the fact that he survived probably states that this encounter probably lasted a few minutes at the most.

We really don't know how long the bike was underneath the truck. It probably couldn't have been that long as:

1) Mr. Durham survived the encounter. If he had been dragged for more than a few miles this probably wouldn't have been the case.
2)The driver had to realize in a pretty short order that there was something under his vehicle and his truck was being damaged. While he may have "thought" that whatever it was might dislodge itself, after only short period it would become obvious that it would not.
3) If the driver was doing 60-70mph, then he would have gone more than a mile in about a minute. So two minutes of driving would have put him three miles past the impact point or farther if he was driving faster.

Let's say that he hit the bike, thought whatever it was would just go under the tractor and the trailer, found that it wouldn't, braked and pulled over. We are probably talking at least 3 minutes and possibly as long as 6-7 minutes. That would put him close to 8 miles away from the area of initial impact.

While probably seemed to last forever to Mr. Durham (and rightly so), the fact that he survived probably states that this encounter probably lasted a few minutes at the most.

That's still a considerable amount of time to drive with something lodged in the front of your vehicle. And I don't remember rumble strips becoming a common trend on highways until the late 90's.

That's still a considerable amount of time to drive with something lodged in the front of your vehicle. And I don't remember rumble strips becoming a common trend on highways until the late 90's.

You are in your mid-20's which means that most of your driving experience would be in this decade. Rumble strips and bumpers have been used on many roads and most interstate highways since at least the mid 1980's.

And time is a relative term. You can't just stop a tractor/trailer on a dime. You have to brake the engine and the trailer carefully so you don't jackknife it. That could have taken a considerable amount of time during which the vehicle would still be moving forward.

The fact that Mr. Durham is still alive and wasn't crushed underneath the tractor's wheels or the trailer's, does tell me that this entire incident didn't last for more than a few minutes.

You are in your mid-20's which means that most of your driving experience would be in this decade. Rumble strips and bumpers have been used on many roads and most interstate highways since at least the mid 1980's.

And time is a relative term. You can't just stop a tractor/trailer on a dime. You have to brake the engine and the trailer carefully so you don't jackknife it. That could have taken a considerable amount of time during which the vehicle would still be moving forward.

The fact that Mr. Durham is still alive and wasn't crushed underneath the tractor's wheels or the trailer's, does tell me that this entire incident didn't last for more than a few minutes.

Yes and the fact that the trailor was barrelling in on another one tells me this guy wasn't making any attempt to slow down. I understand that he couldn't slam the brakes because the truck very well may have jack knifed, but he still could have at least slowed down. Not to mention that the first thing this guy does when he pulls over is try to get the cycle free from his truck instead of looking for a driver shows where his concerns where at the time.

Saying that I don't have any knowledge of roadways because I'm in my mid-20's is like saying you take Cialis because you're in your mid-40's. It's a broad statement that holds no water. I did actually ride around in cars for the majority of my life (which just so happened to start around the mid-80's) and in my area they did not add them on the roads until the mid to late 90's.

Yes and the fact that the trailor was barrelling in on another one tells me this guy wasn't making any attempt to slow down. I understand that he couldn't slam the brakes because the truck very well may have jack knifed, but he still could have at least slowed down. Not to mention that the first thing this guy does when he pulls over is try to get the cycle free from his truck instead of looking for a driver shows where his concerns where at the time.

Saying that I don't have any knowledge of roadways because I'm in my mid-20's is like saying you take Cialis because you're in your mid-40's. It's a broad statement that holds no water. I did actually ride around in cars for the majority of my life (which just so happened to start around the mid-80's) and in my area they did not add them on the roads until the mid to late 90's.

I don't care for Cialis. It upsets my stomach.

And it's hardly a "broad statement." Unless you drive truck for a living or are some type of traveling salesman or contract worker, it's very likely that in your mid-20's that you haven't driven around the US that much. Notice I said "driven" as being a passenger in a car tells you little about the driving experience.

Never said that you didn't have knowledge. Just corrected you on a statement that you made about rumble strips.

And again while the situation may have seemed to last forever, according to Mr Durham (and correctly so, as being dragged by truck would be terrifying) it's unlikely that this entire incident lasted for more than 10 minutes at the most.
That includes the initial impact, Mr Durham rolling free, the truck stopping, the truckers removing the bike and then them both leaving the area.

Had it lasted any longer, the people that stopped to help Mr. Durham would have seen the truckers and it's very likely Mr. Durham would have bled out, even using the tourniquet.

You also have to wonder after losing his leg how much of this Mr. Durham may have "imagined" and how much really happened. Most people would have passed from pain and blood loss after something like this.

I don't care for Cialis. It upsets my stomach.

And it's hardly a "broad statement." Unless you drive truck for a living or are some type of traveling salesman or contract worker, it's very likely that in your mid-20's that you haven't driven around the US that much. Notice I said "driven" as being a passenger in a car tells you little about the driving experience.

Never said that you didn't have knowledge. Just corrected you on a statement that you made about rumble strips.

And again while the situation may have seemed to last forever, according to Mr Durham (and correctly so, as being dragged by truck would be terrifying) it's unlikely that this entire incident lasted for more than 10 minutes at the most.
That includes the initial impact, Mr Durham rolling free, the truck stopping, the truckers removing the bike and then them both leaving the area.

Had it lasted any longer, the people that stopped to help Mr. Durham would have seen the truckers and it's very likely Mr. Durham would have bled out, even using the tourniquet.

You also have to wonder after losing his leg how much of this Mr. Durham may have "imagined" and how much really happened. Most people would have passed from pain and blood loss after something like this.

Just watched parts of the UM segment again, and it clearly shows in the reenactment that on I-40 in Kansas there are no rumble strips on the side of the road. While it's possible that the filming location had none but the actual site of the accident did, this seems unlikely since it was the same highway.

Just watched parts of the UM segment again, and it clearly shows in the reenactment that on I-40 in Kansas there are no rumble strips on the side of the road. While it's possible that the filming location had none but the actual site of the accident did, this seems unlikely since it was the same highway.

It's actually Arkansas. I-40 doesn't run through Kansas.
Also, the road where they performed the reenactment almost certainly wouldn't have been the actual interstate highway where the event occurred.

There's simply no way that UM could have gotten the clearances to close off a major interstate for an extended period at night just to film a segment. Major Hollywood productions can't even do this, which is why when you see people driving on highways in films and TV, they almost always do so on state routes and smaller US Highways.

A smaller highway may not have had the rumble strips, although I suspect that the re-creation took place on a closed track for safety and insurance reasons rather than an actual highway.

I know this may be a long shot, but does anyone here know how Jay is doing now?

On the episode it said he wanted to go into tattooing...I hope he realized his ambition and now has his own (successful) shop. If we knew where he was living back then, we could look online and see if there are any tattoo parlours there that might be his :)

My moms second husband was a truck driver who bragged about how he liked to run cars and motorcycles off the road and he stated to me that motorcycles were his favorite, he was going cross country at the time of this and he had taken my toolbox with him. When he came back he claimed to have hit a deer and accidentally left my toolbox on the side of the road. His bumper was bent up and had scrapes on it, I tried to contact unsolved about this 4 times and never got any calls or emails.

My moms second husband was a truck driver who bragged about how he liked to run cars and motorcycles off the road and he stated to me that motorcycles were his favorite, he was going cross country at the time of this and he had taken my toolbox with him. When he came back he claimed to have hit a deer and accidentally left my toolbox on the side of the road. His bumper was bent up and had scrapes on it, I tried to contact unsolved about this 4 times and never got any calls or emails.

I have no idea if the case is even open at this point, but I do know that if you have information you should contact:

Russellville Police Department at (479) 968-3232

Is Jay Durham still living?

I have tried to find him online and any info but there doesn't seem to be any except what was on UM. I'll keep looking though!

Is Jay Durham still living?
He died in 2014 at the age of 66.

There's a link to his obituary on Find A Grave. I'm having trouble posting it here, but his full name was Lawrence Manning Durham.

I can't find it. i typed it in the search box and came back no results?

I can't find it. i typed it in the search box and came back no results?

Here, try the link below. If just clicking on it doesn't work, you can try copying and pasting it.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Durham&GSfn=Lawrence&GSmn=M&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=125003599&df=all&

Yeah it worked, thats really sad!! RIP Jay!

https://www.facebook.com/people/Cindy-Levart/100009436035706

This may be the woman who Jay was dating at the time. I found her name in a paper, and the state and age work out.

I still don't know how this one was never solved. Assuming the trucker claimed it was an accident, and that he hit an abandoned bike/vehicle while driving the highway, there's a few things that should've happened:

-Someone saw the damage to the truck and asked the trucker what had happened.
-The trucker took the rig to get repaired somewhere.
-The trucker would've called his insurance company to report this accident.
-At the very least, the trucker would've had to have told his employer (assuming he wasn't a freelancer) about the damage to the truck.

I suppose it's still possible that the trucker has no idea about Jay being hit (which I still doubt), but there has to be some sort of report or corroboration of his "story" out there that someone knows.

I still don't know how this one was never solved. Assuming the trucker claimed it was an accident, and that he hit an abandoned bike/vehicle while driving the highway, there's a few things that should've happened:

-Someone saw the damage to the truck and asked the trucker what had happened.
-The trucker took the rig to get repaired somewhere.
-The trucker would've called his insurance company to report this accident.
-At the very least, the trucker would've had to have told his employer (assuming he wasn't a freelancer) about the damage to the truck.

I suppose it's still possible that the trucker has no idea about Jay being hit (which I still doubt), but there has to be some sort of report or corroboration of his "story" out there that someone knows.

Wonder if the trucker was skilled enough to repair the damage himself? I have wondered whether Jay had cut him up & this was a road rage incident? The only article I could find on it from 1994 Jay says the driver made no attempt to help him & makes it sound like he was visible to the guy, when the segment painted it as him hiding in fear of his life & him & the other trucker removing his bike & then searching for him. Doesn't add up why him or the other guy didn't phone an ambulance though-they knew he would have been seriously injured, or if he was visible why didn't they?

The only other theory I can come up with is there was nobody else involved, he simply rode his bike way too fast when no other vehicles were around-possibly under the influence & to avoid the shame or potential legal issues invented this scenario. There are no supporting witnesses to this event who have ever come forward-despite the vehicle he was supposedly nearly pushed into would have had to have seen it, no body shops came forward to say they had done a repair at that time that would match. It would be interesting to know if any examination of his bike was done to see if there was any supporting damage like impact from another vehicle.

The only other theory I can come up with is there was nobody else involved, he simply rode his bike way too fast when no other vehicles were around-possibly under the influence & to avoid the shame or potential legal issues invented this scenario. There are no supporting witnesses to this event who have ever come forward-despite the vehicle he was supposedly nearly pushed into would have had to have seen it, no body shops came forward to say they had done a repair at that time that would match. It would be interesting to know if any examination of his bike was done to see if there was any supporting damage like impact from another vehicle.

The problem with this theory is that Jay was rescued by passing teenagers, who were witnesses and called an ambulance. If he was under the influence, the teenagers, as well as paramedics and hospital staff would've noticed this. And I don't know why the guy would blatantly lie about being hit if he wasn't under the influence, and if he simply lost control of his bike. The trooper in the segment says that there was a significant amount of anti-freeze on the side of the road (where Jay was found), meaning that a large vehicle had to have hit something causing a radiator leak. There was a trail of anti-freeze leaving the scene of the accident, which corroborates Jay's account of his bike being lodged in the front of the truck.

The problem with this theory is that Jay was rescued by passing teenagers, who were witnesses and called an ambulance. If he was under the influence, the teenagers, as well as paramedics and hospital staff would've noticed this. And I don't know why the guy would blatantly lie about being hit if he wasn't under the influence, and if he simply lost control of his bike. The trooper in the segment says that there was a significant amount of anti-freeze on the side of the road (where Jay was found), meaning that a large vehicle had to have hit something causing a radiator leak. There was a trail of anti-freeze leaving the scene of the accident, which corroborates Jay's account of his bike being lodged in the front of the truck.

Been a long time since I have seen the segment & this information isn't mentioned anywhere I could find. If the kids saw it that makes a difference-shame none of them managed to get the licence number-especially seeing as the vehicle stopped. I doubt anybody would have noticed him being under the influence though-he wouldn't be acting normally with those injuries & being in shock.

Been a long time since I have seen the segment & this information isn't mentioned anywhere I could find. If the kids saw it that makes a difference-shame none of them managed to get the licence number-especially seeing as the vehicle stopped. I doubt anybody would have noticed him being under the influence though-he wouldn't be acting normally with those injuries & being in shock.

I don't think the teenagers witnessed the accident, they just found Jay on the side of the road and called an ambulance.

I don't think the teenagers witnessed the accident, they just found Jay on the side of the road and called an ambulance.

Ah, I thought you meant witnessed as in they saw the accident.

This is one re-enactment i was really impressed with i don’t know how they pulled it off when he got slammed into the semi truck the actor playing Jay was obviously a stunt man but this re-enactment really impressed me how they made everything come together on a highway like that to do this case I’m just sad but not surprised it was never solved.

I sometimes wonder if the trucker fell asleep and woke up some time after making initial contact with Jay's motorcycle (he did get out of the truck later). The sound would have been fairly loud. Perhaps the trucker had a previous infraction and was afraid of losing his job or license if he had another incident. There are a lot of unanswered questions in this sad case.