HEARNE MAN BECOMES MILAM COUNTY’S 11^TH TRAFFIC FATALITY

(GAUSE)  A Hearne man was killed in a 2-vehicle accident Monday afternoon on US 79 two miles west of Gause.  65-year old Johnny Lawrence Musia was pronounced dead at the scene by JP Twila Harris of Rockdale following the 3:30 p.m. accident.  Musia was driving a 1993 Cadillac 4-door that was struck from the rear by a 96 International Truck Tractor/trailer driven by David Harold Tulley Jr. of Somerville.  Tulley was not hurt. 

According to the accident report, Highway 79 at the accident site was under construction and reduced to 1 lane of traffic with a flag man.  Musia was stopped in the east bound lane with the flag man when Tulley plowed into the rear of the Cadillac pushing the vehicle across both lanes of traffic and into the west-bound bar ditch where it struck a fence.  Tulley told investigators he had looked down and when he looked up, he could not stop the rig before striking Musia’s vehicle.  Musia, who was wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:32 p.m.  His body was taken to Phillips & Luckey Funeral Home in Rockdale. 

Musia becomes Milam County’s 11^th traffic fatality of the year and the second this month.   A Bartlett woman was killed June 17th in an auto accident at the intersection of Farm Roads 486 and 487 south of Pettibone.  Ruth Peterson Claflion, 65, was pronounced dead at the scene after her Ford Pickup pulling horse trailer was hit broadside on the passenger’s side by a northbound Chevy pickup driven by 28 year old Jason Early of Cameron.  (See story)