NEVADA, MO (KCTV) -
The family of a man killed in a fluke accident Friday night is speaking out about their loved one.
Friday night a semitruck plowed into the Quick Dine restaurant just off U.S. Highway 71 in Nevada, MO. Troopers said the driver tried to avoid another vehicle.
Joseph Cole, 54, was killed in the crash and Cole's son spoke about his dad the day after his death.
Joseph Cole's son Travis Cole said his dad came to the Quick Dine for coffee nearly every day, always sitting in the same booth. He said he'd either be at the diner, working or home if he wasn't at Travis Cole's house playing with his grandchildren.
"I just knew it. I knew where he sits in the diner and the truck was right through there," Travis Cole said.
Travis Cole, a Nevada police officer, was off duty Friday when the semi crashed into his dad's favorite diner.
"I had someone call and ask if I was working the accident up there. I wasn't but, as I saw the scene and the truck, I knew right away. My dad was always there," he said.
Travis Cole said a photo taken seven years ago on his wedding day brings back some of the best memories of his dad.
"He didn't have much, but he'd help you out if he could. People in this town could attest to that. A lot of people knew him and he really loved his grandchildren," he said.
Travis Cole said his experience as a police officer didn't prepare him for a crash so close to home.
"I've seen some pretty bad accidents. I haven't seen a semi in a diner before, but these things happen," he said. "It doesn't seem real. It hasn't kicked in yet. I'm sure it will once everything settles down."
The Cole family is still working to finalize funeral plans.
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Joseph Cole and his son Travis Cole
