Panhandle, TX — September 17, 2024, a 53-year-old motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash with an 18-wheeler on U.S. Highway 60 in Carson County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 9:15 p.m. on US-60 near Elsie Street. Preliminary investigation suggests a Peterbilt semi-truck was traveling west on the highway, just past Elsie, when it collided for unclear reasons with the back of a westbound Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The driver told investigators he swerved to avoid the bike, but still hit it with the front-right portion of the semi-truck.
The motorcycle rider, whose name was not disclosed in preliminary reports, was seriously injured in the crash. The truck driver was unhurt and received a citation for failure to control speed.
No further details are currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When interviewed about the crash, the truck driver in Panhandle allegedly told police he couldn’t see the taillights of the motorcycle ahead until he was very close. Investigators noted they took scene photos showing the motorcycle’s brake lights were on and functional.
That’s not to call the trucker a liar, but if he said he “couldn’t see” the motorcycle—even though it had working taillights and the highway was reportedly straight and lit—he needs to clarify why not. Is it possible something very unusual blocked the driver’s sightlines, or unknown conditions made the motorcycle less visible? Of course. Is it a simpler explanation that something else just had more of the driver’s attention than the road did? Certainly.
I’m not saying I know something investigators don’t. I’m just pointing out that many times situations like this come down to the truck driver’s word against the victim’s. The trucker already has his story about visibility, so if the victim wants to dispute that he’ll need clear evidence like dashcam footage, in-cab video, phone records, truck ECM data, and whatever other sources of information could paint an accurate picture. Hopefully investigators gathered all that and didn’t settle for a “failure to slow” citation when a man was seriously hurt. He deserves to know every effort was made to find the truth; any steps beyond that depend on what that truth turns out to be.
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