Payne County, OK -- April 29, 2022, Julie Ann Johnson was killed due to an accident where a truck allegedly failed to yield.

Initial reports on the crash said that it happened at around 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 51 and Highway 18, just outside of Yale. They said that 45-year-old Julie Ann Johnson was in a Nissan Altima traveling northbound through the intersection. At the crossing, it appears that a Dodge Ram 3500 failed to stop at the stop sign, crashing with Johnson and killing her.

For some time, no further details were available, but diligence from Patti Weaver at 1600kush.com brought to light details from a police affidavit which now say that the Dodge driver faces charges.

According to Ms. Weaver's recounting of the affidavit, the driver of the truck was pulling a trailer and failed to stop at the intersection. It was said the crossing was under construction "but was properly marked with stop signs" at the time of the collision. The driver of the truck currently faces a charge for second-degree manslaughter.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

If nothing else, it's encouraging to see there is at least one local journalist that is taking steps to inform the public about the progress of this situation. Whatever the mistakes were that led to this awful event and the ensuing charges, I can't help wondering if further diligence will uncover even more serious issues.

The reason I say this is due to the fact that the truck involved was hauling a trailer and appears to be a rather large truck. That typically means the driver was working, and that can sometimes mean they were working on behalf of an employer. Is that what happened here? Was this all just an unpredictable mistake, or were there existing issues such as a lack of training, history of reckless driving, or poor maintenance issues which ultimately led to this woman losing her life? Knowing that someone will at least have their day in court to answer for what happened here is a positive step forward, but it may only be the beginning of a more serious journey.

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