FORT WORTH, TEXAS — A GoFundMe has been set up by Tyler Shivers’ mother Sandy to help cover funeral expenses for the 33-year-old Waste Management driver who was killed Wednesday when the garbage truck he was driving veered off US-287 and slammed into several supporting pillars of the Erath Street bridge in south Fort Worth, throwing him from the vehicle.
“Tyler was a man everyone loved, and he had a big heart for others,” his family wrote on the fundraiser page. “This loss has come so suddenly, and the family is now facing the painful reality of making urgent funeral arrangements while grieving.”
Funds raised will go toward a casket and burial ceremony. The GoFundMe had raised more than $4,300 toward a $5,000 goal as of Friday afternoon.
Shivers was ejected from the truck and pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, identified by family as Ruben Saenz, was hospitalized in critical condition. The two were finishing their shift and heading to drop off the truck at the nearby Waste Management landfill when the crash occurred. Bystanders rushed to the scene and used pocket knives to try to free the men from the wreckage.
The crash caused significant structural damage to the Erath Street bridge, prompting a partial demolition overnight and a closure of southbound US-287 lanes expected to last seven to ten days. The NTSB has opened an investigation. The cause of the crash has not been determined.
Waste Management said it is cooperating with the police investigation. “We lost a valued member of the WM family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the employee’s family and the other passenger involved in this accident.”
Donations can be made here.
Information courtesy of Star-Telegram and GoFundMe.
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