Texas Semi-Truck Hauling Oil Overturns, Closes FM 624
An 18 wheeler lost control while driving along a Texas highway on June 12, sending its two occupants to the hospital. According to a witness, the truck accident occurred when the truck went off the road and then tried to over correct. This caused the truck to flip on its side and leak petroleum onto Texas FM 624 in Jim Wells County.
The witness, along with an individual who lived nearby, rushed to the truck to try and help the victims. They were able to remove the passenger, a man who was shortly thereafter transported to a hospital in Alice. The two Good Samaritans, though, were unable to extract the driver, who had to wait over an hour for rescue officials to remove him from the truck.
Both men have remained in the hospital where the passenger is listed in good condition and the driver is listed in fair condition. Police have indicated, preliminarily, their belief that fatigue played a role in the accident. At this time they have not concluded whether traffic citations will be issued to the driver of the truck.
A Texas 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer can Help Win Financial Compensation
Driver fatigue is becoming more of an issue on Texas highways as drivers are given incentive to drive long hours each day to reach their destination on or ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, these circumstances can lead to dangerous conditions that in many cases yield drastic consequences to the driver of the truck and others sharing the road. As was the case in this truck accident, a momentary lapse in attentiveness is all that it takes to transform a truck into a deadly wrecking ball, that while luckily yielding no causalities in this particular occurrence, resulted in the injury and hospitalization of a passenger. Whether he may wish to seek reimbursement from the driver and/or the trucking company will likely depend on the facts revealed in the official accident report and the assessment of his rights under Texas law.
Source: KRISTV.com, “Tanker Rollover Crash Shuts Down FM 624,” Mia Gordon, June 12, 2012
