Kleberg County, TX — October 18, 2025, Maria Alanis, Sandra Alanis Lopez and another person were injured in a truck accident at about 9 p.m. on U.S. Route 77 south of Kingsville.
A preliminary accident report indicates that a northbound 2016 Kenworth semi-truck and an eastbound 2022 Ford Ranger at the intersection with County Road 2120, causing both vehicles to overturn.
Ford passengers Maria Alanis, 73, and Sandra Alanis Lopez, 45, were seriously injured in the crash, according to the report, as was a 55-year-old woman riding in the semi-truck.
The Ford driver and two teenage passengers were listed as possibly injured, the report states.
The truck driver was not hurt, according to the report.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Kleberg County crash at this time.
Commentary by Michael Grossman
When people read about a crash where both a pickup and an 18-wheeler overturned at an intersection, the obvious question is: how did that happen? Most vehicles don’t just roll over unless something went very wrong. Without more details, it’s impossible to know exactly what occurred here, but that’s why a thorough investigation is so important.
Right now, all we know is that a northbound semi-truck and an eastbound pickup collided at an intersection. That leaves a lot unanswered. For example:
- Which vehicle had the right of way?
- Was either driver speeding or distracted?
- Was there a stop sign or signal at all?
It’s also not clear where exactly the vehicles struck one another. Depending on whether the semi hit the Ford or the other way around, different liability questions arise. A side impact might suggest a failure to yield. A head-on could mean someone crossed into the wrong path. And if both vehicles overturned, that raises questions about their respective speeds and the angle of impact.
To get clarity, investigators will need to gather objective evidence—things like dash cam footage, black box (ECM) data from the truck, and any nearby surveillance video. The truck’s ECM can reveal whether the driver braked, accelerated, or swerved before the crash. In-cab camera footage—if available—can also help determine whether the truck driver was attentive or distracted in the moments leading up to the collision.
Phone records are another important piece of the puzzle. Was either driver texting or talking on the phone? That’s not something anyone can determine just by looking at the crash scene. It requires someone to subpoena those records and analyze them alongside the rest of the evidence.
It’s also worth asking what the trucking company’s role might be. What kind of training did this driver have? How thoroughly was he vetted before being hired? I’ve handled cases where trucking companies hired drivers with long records of misconduct or who barely passed a “road test” that didn’t resemble real-world driving at all. In those situations, the company’s hiring practices can be just as much a factor as what happened behind the wheel.
Two people in the Ford were seriously hurt, along with a passenger in the semi-truck. That’s not something that can be brushed off or resolved with a police report alone. Getting to the bottom of this means looking beyond what’s immediately obvious and collecting all the facts, from all sides.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s unclear which vehicle had the right of way at the intersection or how the impact occurred.
- ECM data, dash cams and phone records are crucial to determining what each driver was doing before the crash.
- Whether the semi-truck or the pickup caused the crash can’t be known without independent investigation.
- The trucking company’s hiring and training practices may need to be reviewed if the truck driver shares any responsibility.
- Multiple serious injuries mean this crash requires a full accounting of what happened, not assumptions.
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