Smith County, TX — April 15, 2024, Michael Stow was fatally injured and Trisha Stow, Chris Stow, and a teenager were hurt due to an 18-wheeler accident at around 1:00 a.m. on I-20.
According to initial details about the accident, it happened on eastbound lanes of the interstate near Highway 110, northwest of Tyler.
It appears that the events began after a pickup apparently broke down along the inside lane of the interstate. The driver apparently left the vehicle in the roadway without any lights on. Multiple vehicles then hit that vehicle, including a Hyundai Sonata occupied by 78-year-old Michael John Stow, 44-year-old Trisha Stow, 49-year-old Chris Stow, and a 14-year-old. Some time following these initial collisions, an 18-wheeler then hit the Stows’ vehicle.
Due to the collision, Michael Stow reportedly went to a hospital, following which Michael’s injuries proved fatal on April 22. Chris Stow and the 14-year-old reportedly had moderate injuries while Trisha Stow had possibly minor injuries. No other injuries were confirmed.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
At this time, additional details are unavailable. One that will be crucial going forward is finding out the timing between all of these collisions. There are some possible scenarios with drastically different implications.
In one hypothetical scenario, the 18-wheeler crashed at just about the same time as all the other ones. One could hardly blame someone for failing to see an unlit vehicle stuck in the middle of the interstate. A resulting collision may be all down to whoever left the vehicle in the road. However, there’s another hypothetical scenario where a driver comes upon an accident scene several seconds after the initial collisions, and there are now other well-lit vehicles in the road that can be seen and avoided. A driver hitting them might be someone who failed to avoid an otherwise reasonably avoidable collision.
this is why I hope authorities aren’t looking at all of this with too narrow a scope while they investigate. Maybe this all comes down to one person leaving a vehicle in the road. Maybe this was a series of collisions, some of which could have been avoided. The evidence needed to determine that often requires unique tools and extensive experience I typically only see from independent accident reconstructionists. Authorities alone might miss something important, and that’s the last thing victims and families need after such a serious truck accident.
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