Just before midnight on Wednesday, a car pulling out in front of flatbed truck led to a major 4 vehicle crash involving 3 trucks. The collision occurred in a construction zone on the Southwest Freeway of Houston near the Beechnut exit.
The impact caused the driver of the flatbed to lose control of the truck, which then crashed into the rear of an 18-wheeler. Then a pickup truck hit the tractor-trailer too. The flatbed truck driver was hospitalized in stable condition due to injuries from the 4-vehicle collision. (khou.com, 5/22/14) The thoughts and prayers of our Harris County truck accident attorneys are with the injured flatbed driver and his friends and family as he recovers.
The Texas legislature enacted a new law last year to protect TxDOT workers due to the rash of injuries and deaths occurring in work zones because of speeding, impatient, and distracted drivers. Impatient driving can be deadly driving, as demonstrated by a recent fatal crash in Longview where a pickup truck driver passing a slower truck slammed head-on into a car with deadly force.
We realize that sudden slow-downs due to traffic bottlenecks caused by construction zones can be frustrating. But trying to force your way through without slowing down can easily lead to a crash that brings your journey to an abrupt halt altogether.
Almost 85% of the people who die in construction zone crashes are the impatient or negligent drivers. Where the drivers cause fatal accidents to others, they often find themselves arrested afterwards, which happened to the driver in the fatal Longview wreck.
About 45% of all highway construction zones are the sites of crashes. And in Texas last year, more than 3,500 people sustained serious injuries and over 100 died in TxDOT work zone wrecks. So drive carefully, slow down, and stay alert as you head through those highway construction zones. Work zone crashes are 100% avoidable if drivers take extra care.
We believe that needlessly injured accident victims deserve strong advocacy and protection of their rights against negligent drivers and the powerful insurance companies that seek to minimize the value of their losses. Our Texas Board certified personal injury attorneys could help you hold those drivers and insurance companies financially accountable for your needless injuries and losses from a crash.