Dallas, TX — April 17, 2024, Hector Castillo Garcia was killed as the result of an 18-wheeler accident at around 6:10 a.m. on Dowdy Ferry Road.
Initial details released by authorities says that the crash took place at the intersection of Dowdy Ferry Road and the I-20/LBJ Freeway service road.
According to current statements, 56-year-old Hector Castillo Garcia was in a Ford Expedition traveling southbound on Dowdy Ferry. While crossing the service road, it’s said an 18-wheeler going northbound failed to yield turning left to go to the westbound on-ramp. As a result, the vehicles collided. Castillo Garcia was killed as a result. Right now, there is no indication of pending charges or citations.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
One thing that stands out is authorities say the truck driver told them the oncoming car’s headlights weren’t visible and may have been off. Now, I don’t know if that’s true or not. It’s certainly possible, but frankly it’s highly unusual. Claims like that should always get the utmost scrutiny because they’re sometimes just an attempt by a would-be negligent driver to shift blame away from themselves.
I actually had a case a while back where lies about a victim not having their headlights on came to light thanks to diligent independent investigations. In that case, it was highly unlikely the victim would have done something as reckless as drive without their lights on. They weren’t intoxicated, and they had a history of safe, responsible driving. So what happened?
We went to the wreck yard to look at the victim’s vehicle, and something immediately stood out: the headlights were gone. They weren’t broken—they were gone. On a hunch, we looked at the logs where visitors to the wreck yard had to sign in. Lo and behold, a name stood out to us. It was a member of the trucking company’s defense team. Our investigations ultimately revealed that member of the defense team actually brought tools to the yard and stole the victim’s headlights. That’s right—they literally stole evidence just to make a bogus defense so they could avoid responsibility for a reckless truck driver taking someone’s life.
To be clear, that’s a rather egregious example of the depths to which some companies sink just to avoid taking responsibility. I have no evidence to say something like that happened here, but there is typically a lot of incentive for drivers to put their thumb on the scales after any serious truck wreck. I don’t see any reason why this crash would be any different. At the end of the day, the victim isn’t around to tell their side of the story, so they need the evidence to do it for them. If authorities only take these claims as conjecture until they see clear facts one way or the other, they may be able to ensure the victim’s loved ones get the answers they deserve. Otherwise, if they’re basing their investigations on a surviving driver’s statements at the scene, they may be making a huge mistake.
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