Three members of a reality TV show family died in a collision with a tractor-trailer in rural Michigan late last week, and the deaths of three more people are being blamed on an "inattentive" trucker who caused a chain reaction crash in Missouri.
In Michigan, the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office reports three members of the family featured in the TLC reality show Meet the Putmans died Sept. 26 when the Jeep they were in was struck by a tractor-trailer said to have run a stop sign. Killed in the crash were Bill “Papa” Putman, his wife, Barb, who often goes by Neenee, and their daughter-in-law Megan. Five other Putman family members were in the Jeep at the time of the crash.
The trucker, a 55-year-old man from Florida, and a female passenger sustained minor injuries.
The driver of the truck was arrested and a report is being forwarded to the prosecutor, according to the sheriff's department's statement.
The TLC reality series Meet the Putmans lran for one season, which aired for six episodes during September and October of 2017. It focused on the lives of 25 family members living under one roof in a small, rural community in Michigan's Thumb region.
The family later restarted the series on YouTube in 2021.
Driver inattention blamed in Missouri crash
Police are blaming a crash in Missouri that killed three people and injured five others on what they said was driver inattention.
The crash occurred Sunday afternoon, Sept. 28 on Interstate 55 near the 173.8 mile marker in Jefferson County, which is located south of St. Louis.
First Alert 4 reports police say the
tractor-trailer driver "was not paying attention to slow-moving traffic" and struck the back of a car. A total of eight vehciles wer involved.
Dead in the crash were a 53-year old woman from Missouri, a 63-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman, both from Memphis.
The trucker, a 45-year-old man from Louisiana was taken into custody.
Police continue their investigation.
