Jay Durham (hit-and-run survivor)

[sharonite]

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?

[XCalibur]

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.

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.

[wiseguy182]

Originally Posted by sharonite

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.

[TracyLynnS]

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.

[cocytus]

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.

[sharonite]

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.

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.

[porcella]

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.

[wiseguy182]

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.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

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?

[TracyLynnS]

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.

[bluejazz87]

Originally Posted by XCalibur

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.

[sharonite]

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

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.

[wiseguy182]

Originally Posted by sharonite

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.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by bluejazz87

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.

[bluejazz87]

Originally Posted by XCalibur

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.