Gun Barrel City, TX — October 3, 2024, 66-year-old Stephen Locke was injured in a traffic accident on Main Street in Henderson County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 3:25 p.m. on East Main Street (State Highway 334) at Peach Tree Road. Preliminary investigation suggests an Isuzu box truck was northbound on Peach Tree when the driver allegedly failed to yield to traffic on Main Street. As the truck passed through the eastbound lane of Main, Stephen Locke’s Ram 1500 pickup crashed into its left side.
Stephen Locke and the box truck driver were both transported from the scene to area hospitals. Reports indicate Locke was seriously injured; the Isuzu driver’s condition is unknown.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Reports suggest that the truck driver’s failure to yield to thru-traffic was this crash’s main factor. Some may think that should be enough to hold him—and by extension his employer—responsible for the injuries caused in the wreck, but the reality is that almost no commercial truck accident is that straightforward.
Truck drivers can make mistakes like anyone else, but because of how much their employers stand to lose they have many strategies to avoid liability no matter how preliminary reports look. That means sending out their own investigators in search of something else to pin the blame on. After the Gun Barrel City crash, for example, I wouldn’t be surprised if they suggested the victim was speeding or distracted—and he would have to successfully refute that, or run the risk of a jury believing it. The company doesn’t have to know or care if it’s true; they just have to introduce enough doubt that a jury doesn’t feel comfortable blaming the negligent truck driver anymore.
The point I’m making is that even if preliminary information suggests a truck driver is to blame, no one can afford to underestimate a trucking company’s stubbornness and inventiveness when liability is on the line. The best way to fight that is with lots of clear evidence, so I hope someone helps the victim assemble what he needs.
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