Investigation of Thomasville truck accident 'near completion' says mayor

Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day has provided an update on the status of the investigation into the major truck accident that killed two people, including Wilcox Academy coach Woodie Earl Beck, in late May. 

In a post on social media Day shared that FBI Agents, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) investigators, ALDOT investigators, and Thomasville Police Department investigators are "near completion" of the investigation. 

The truck that was involved is being held in a secure location as investigators worked to extract information from the black box. 

"This information is very important in determining the speed of the truck, when the driver may have pressed his brakes and other vital information," Day said. "Black boxes were also retrieved from other some of the other vehicles involved in the accident. All of this information is being processed. We will release more details once the data is analyzed, processed fully, and made available to us for public disclosure."

He added that agents from the Federal Department of Transportation (FDOT) are currently working with the Chicago company that owns the truck to find more information. 

Additionally, Day cited a recent action taken by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to "enhance" enforcement English proficiency rules for commercial truckers. The driver of the 18-wheeler from the accident Andrii Dmyterko and the passenger, Denys Kucher, were in the U.S. on work Visas.

"Accidents like the one in Thomasville and others around the U.S. have created an urgent plea to get these trucking companies and drivers into compliance," Day said. 

He also stated that additional statements will be released once new information becomes available.