Palo Pinto County, TX — September 21, 2024, 36-year-old Steve Pena was injured in a collision with a commercial truck on State Highway 337 in Palo Pinto County.
According to authorities, the incident happened around 11:35 a.m. on SH 337 at Ragle Road. Preliminary investigation suggests a Ford F-250 was towing a trailer southeast on the highway, followed at some distance by Pena on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
The truck driver started to turn right onto Ragle, at which point Pena overtook the slowed truck and trailer. Pena reportedly steered onto the shoulder but crashed into the rear-right quarter of the F-250.
Steve Pena received serious injuries in the accident. No other vehicles or people were involved.
No further details are currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Folks may see a report like this and assume things are more or less open-and-shut; after all, if the truck driver turned into the path of oncoming traffic, what more needs discussing before fault can be assigned?
Reasonable as that may sound, those people don’t have decades of experience dealing with commercial trucking and insurance companies to set their expectations. Because of that, they may not realize that police narratives aren’t exactly the “final word” of a serious accident. To make sure accident victims get the help they need, it’s important to ensure nothing can muddy the waters.
For example, one thing I see a lot after accidents involving motorcycles is people quickly jumping to conclusions about the rider being careless. There is an unfortunate perception of motorcyclists as reckless daredevils, which defense attorneys may take advantage of by claiming the victim was speeding, weaving through traffic, driving on the shoulder, etc. Even without evidence of those claims, folks may believe them simply because they’re already primed to blame motorcyclists for their crashes.
With enough evidence, though, those biases can be refuted. Clear facts are easily the most valuable tool one can have on their side, which is why it’s often best to ensure accident investigations are thorough and leave no stone unturned. As they say, it’s not about what you know—it’s about what you can prove. Were steps taken here to prove exactly who and what was responsible for the victim’s injuries?
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