A Temple police drone flew through the windshield of Gurdeep Gill’s Peterbilt tractor-trailer on Interstate 35 near West Nugent Avenue on June 2, cutting his face and sending him to the hospital. Months later, the city is fighting to keep the public from seeing exactly what happened.
Gill, a Canadian driver from Brampton, Ontario, was behind the wheel of a northbound tractor-trailer when the drone struck his truck, according to the Temple Daily Telegram. kdhnews.com pinpointed the collision at 2:36 p.m. that day. Newly released records indicated the incident occurred earlier than the time listed in the filed report, per the Telegram.
Emergency dispatch records described Gill as alert with a head injury, and it remained unclear whether glass or metal had entered his eyes, the Telegram reported. He did not lose consciousness, but he sustained head and facial injuries after the drone impact cut his face, according to the same reporting. Gill confirmed his own hospitalization and Canadian citizenship to kdhnews.com.
City Withholds Records, Trucker Plans Lawsuit
Temple interim City Attorney Charla Thomas referred requests for the police report and accident report to the Texas attorney general’s office for a ruling, kdhnews.com reported. The Telegram has appealed the city’s request for that ruling, seeking the collision report and related accident reports. Separately, the Telegram reported that Thomas requested a blanket block on a July records request, saying releasing responsive material could hinder the city’s ability to provide an adequate defense…