Panola County, TX — June 26, 2024, James Hicks was killed as the result of a truck accident that happened at around 10:00 p.m. on U.S. Highway 59.
Investigators said that the accident happened at the intersection of U.S. 59 and County Road 301/Hunter Road.
According to officials, 43-year-old James Dwayne Hicks was in a Kia Sedona going westbound on C.R. 301. While crossing northbound lanes of the highway, it appears a northbound Dodge truck pulling a trailer crashed into the side of Hicks’s vehicle. As a result, Hicks was killed. No other injuries were reported.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
I certainly don’t know anything more about this specific crash beyond what authorities have released publicly. However, any serious accident like this warrants as thorough an accident reconstruction as possible, and that means considering all possibilities—even unlikely ones. It often surprises people to learn what authorities can miss when they only focus on surface-level details.
For example, I recall a deadly accident out in West Texas where a man was t-boned by a large truck after police say he ran a stop sign. That’s all anyone knew for some time, but a friend of the firm that works in accident reconstruction clued us in on information that was never released publicly. As it turned out, TxDOT had been doing construction work on the intersection earlier in the day before the crash. They removed the stop signs at the crossing in the process. When they left for the day, though, they forgot to replace the signs, leaving the intersection uncontrolled. As a result, the victim unsuspectingly proceeded through the intersection, and it got him killed.
That’s clearly an unusual situation, and I’m not suggesting that happened here. The point is that proper accident reconstructions need to be thorough to catch that sort of thing or otherwise rule it out. Strange things happen, and it’s important they get as much attention as something more likely, such as alcohol, fatigue, or cell phone usage. So regardless of what led to this crash, the last thing anyone should do is jump to conclusions. Only the evidence can really say what happened here. I just hope authorities took the time to get that evidence to ensure the victim’s loved ones weren’t left with any doubts or questions.
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