Falls County, TX — September 16, 2024, two people were injured when an 18-wheeler hit their vehicle on State Highway 6 in Falls County.
According to authorities, the accident happened around 1:55 p.m. on Highway 6 near County Road 202. Preliminary investigation suggests a Ford F-350 with an attached trailer was stopped on the southbound shoulder of the highway, with its two occupants outside the vehicle retrieving tools to change a tire.
Investigators say a southbound International tractor-trailer approached the area in the outside lane, then drifted over the fog line for unknown reasons. It crashed into the back of the Ford’s trailer, then the side of the pickup. The impact pushed the Ford and its trailer into the nearby bar ditch; the semi-truck continued off the road and crashed through a fence, then hit a tree and came to rest.
The 21-year-old man outside the Ford suffered serious injuries when the vehicle and trailer were pushed into him and a 21-year-old woman during the impact. The woman reportedly received less serious injuries. The 64-year-old truck driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Seeing the reported details of this crash, some may have quickly decided the truck driver screwed up—maybe he nodded off at the wheel, or he was watching his phone instead of the road, but regardless people are ready to chalk up the accident to driver error and move on. Even investigators mentioned driver inattention as a suspected factor, and if it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for everyone else, right?
It’s true that careless drivers cause a lot of these situations, but let’s not be so hasty. If I’ve learned anything over decades of working on truck accident cases, it’s that things aren’t always as clear-cut as they may seem. For example, even a driver mistake might indicate a bigger problem. We’ve seen truckers who were using their phones just before they crashed, but only because their supervisors demanded immediate replies, no matter the circumstances. Some drivers nod off at the wheel not because they partied too hard, but because they were threatened with cut hours and routes if they didn’t pull all-nighters to make timely deliveries. Heck, some crash because they weren’t even trained properly before being sent out.
I’m not suggesting every trucking company pulls these shenanigans, but it’s a competitive industry and some companies cut corners to get ahead. That could mean hiring anyone who can fog a mirror no matter their driving history, or making them violate hours of service rules to “get the load on the road.” In those situations where the company is willfully negligent, it’s certainly not right to dump all the blame on the driver who messed up.
The big takeaway here is that it’s generally unwise to jump to conclusions, no matter what the first impression may be. Things might have a simple explanation in Falls County, but it’s always best to investigate carefully and find clear evidence that tells the whole story—including the specific and proven cause of the accident. Anything beyond that would depend largely on what the story turns out to be.
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