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A recent report published in the Houston Chronicle online publication, Chron.com contains an account of an 18-wheeler accident that happened Wednesday night on FM 528.
The report suggests that Joseph Robinson, who was killed in this tragic crash, was speeding in the westbound lane of FM 529. That analysis apparently came from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
The report also goes on to indicate a professional truck driver pulled out of a gas station parking lot to travel east on FM 529. While pulling out of the gas station, apparently the tractor cleared the westbound lane to the trailer did not.
Apparently, Mr. Robinson hit the trailer portion of the big rig, which was extending into his lane of travel. While the factual details are sketchy on exactly what took place in the crash, the report is confusing whether the decedent struck the tractor or the trailer.
Semi truck drivers or 18 wheeler drivers are professionals who must have professional truck driver training and adhere to safety rules and regulations much more stringent than those that apply to passenger cars and pickup trucks.
The reason that truck drivers need extra training in safety and that they are subject to rules were specific about safety is because of the potential for serious injury and wrongful death because of a truck driver error or equipment problem.
While the Chron’s report indicates that the crash is under investigation according to Sheriff’s officials, the 18-wheeler driver clearly had a duty to yield the right-of-way for both his truck and trailer to the westbound traffic. In other words, both his tractor and the trailer should not have been impeding westbound traffic such that it would cause an accident.
While there is a reference to speeding on the part of the decedent Mr. Robinson, a thorough accident investigation will determine the speeds of the vehicles and depending on the year of the Chevy Blazer, the exact speed of the vehicle can in some cases be determined by the event data recorder that may be on the vehicle.
Big truck crashes like this are ones in which the family of the decedent should act quickly to retain a real truck accident law firm to investigate the cause of the crash and determine the cause of the crash from the family’s perspective.
Most larger trucking companies have in-house teams who dispatch quick response personnel including defense attorneys as soon as possible after a fatal truck wreck. Smaller trucking companies usually rely upon the insurance carrier who likewise in many instances, dispatches teams to investigate and find factual data to defend a potential wrongful death claim.
