Desoto, TX — August 15, 2024, Chandler Doud was injured following an 18-wheeler accident at around 2:45 a.m. along Interstate 35E.
According to officials, the crash took place on southbound lanes of the interstate in the area of Pleasant Run Road.
Investigators said that 27-year-old Chandler Doud was in a Kia which reportedly got into an initial accident for unclear reasons. While the Kia was stationary along the right side of the road, an 18-wheeler did not avoid the Kia, striking it from behind. As a result of the collision, Doud was seriously injured. There did not appear to be any other injuries.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
With truck wrecks like this, people may get lost in the weeds about if someone can be responsible for hitting a stationary vehicle or if the first crash is always considered the root cause of any following crashes. Well, Texas law generally seeks to answer the question: Whose actions were more likely than not the cause of the injuries? In my experience, with chain reaction crashes like this, that generally comes down to how avoidable the second collision was.
For example, if someone crashes into a guardrail, and their vehicle ricochets directly into the path of an approaching commercial truck, it’s reasonable that a prudent professional driver might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the sudden collision. In those situations, a jury could put more weight on whatever it was that led to the first accident.
However, in other situations, a vehicle crashes, comes to a stop, and is then clearly visible and avoidable. There may even be other drivers who have no problems getting around the victim or slowing down, but then some other driver who is going too fast or not paying attention crashes into them. In that situation, a potential jury might find that the driver failing to avoid the second crash far outweighs whatever led to the first accident.
As simple as the questions may be, though, getting answers rarely ever is. Without experience, tools, and time, things can easily slip by investigators who aren’t able to dedicate all of their efforts to an accident reconstruction. Unfortunately, that’s why authorities can come up short when investigating commercial truck accidents. That’s why I have to wonder if steps have been taken beyond the typical police investigations to ensure that nothing unusual slips through the cracks. One way or another, those involved here need to have all the facts to shed light on how this all could have been avoided.
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