Gonzales County, TX — December 13, 2024, Erick Valencia Lopez was killed as the result of a truck accident at around 11:03 p.m. along Highway 80.
According to preliminary information from authorities, the accident took place off the corner of the Highway 80 and F.M. 157 intersection.
Officials said that 22-year-old Erick Valencia Lopez was the driver of a Chevy Silverado going westbound. For reasons not confirmed right now, the Chevy and a northbound Kenworth semi-truck crossed paths. As a result, they collided.
Valencia Lopez was killed as a result of the accident. There were no other reported injuries. Right now, additional details are unavailable.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
This late at night, there’s concern following any commercial truck wreck. Simply put, it’s worth asking: What are authorities basing their findings on at this stage? Generally speaking, folks assume authorities will dig deep into the evidence and piece together the events through careful investigations. Sometimes, though, that’s not how things go. They may only scratch the surface or simply interview whoever is at the scene. Well, if the victim isn’t around to speak for themselves, who speaks on their behalf?
Let me give an example of why this is an important concern. Many trucking companies have representatives whose job it is to go out to accident scenes as soon as possible and help drivers get their story straight. This isn’t always nefarious—truck drivers can be involved in accidents that they had no way of avoiding. The issue is when there are cases like one I had not long ago where a company flew one of their reps out to a crash scene in a helicopter. The first people who arrived at the scene were the emergency responders and the trucking company employee ready to speak to investigators.
At the end of the day, trucking companies have measures in place to paint themselves in the best light possible following any accident. That’s why it’s important that victims and families have as much evidence as possible telling the victim’s side of the story. Authorities may be able to get that on their own, but it’s not something that can ever be taken for granted. Otherwise, a family may end up on the wrong end of scale that’s been tipped in someone else’s favor.
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