A van and a tractor-trailer truck hauling combustible liquid collided early Monday morning, resulting in a tragedy that claimed three lives. The resulting fire burned for around five hours, damaging the roadway as well as taking the lives of the van’s trio of occupants. The 18-wheeler’s driver was hospitalized, but survived the fiery crash on Highway 87 near Lubbock. (Associated Press by way of KTRK abc13.com, 5/5/14)
Texas Department of Public Safety officials did not have the identities of those who perished in the flames. Accident investigators thought that the van’s driver might have failed to yield to the heavy truck at a stop sign. Our Houston 18 wheeler accident attorneys express their sympathies to the family members and friends of the passengers and driver of the van, and we wish the tractor-trailer a rapid and complete recovery from the injuries sustained in the fiery wreck.
Know when to Yield, an Error in Judgment could be Fatal
TxDOT says that two of the top causes of accidents in Texas are failure to yield and running red lights and stop signs. Intersection crashes where people fail to yield are responsible for almost 40% of crash fatalities. Failure to yield to an 18-wheeler, even if it’s not carrying a cargo of highly combustible liquid, can easily be fatal due to the massive size and weight difference between the truck and a passenger vehicle.
To help prevent accident injuries or deaths, TxDOT suggests that drivers slow down, yield to other drivers, keep a safe following distance between vehicles, and always stop at red lights and stop signs.
If you’re involved in a crash, try to move to the side of the roadway out of the way of other traffic to exchange information. Check for injuries, and help those who are injured as much as you can until paramedics arrive. The Houston 18-wheeler accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC remind you to always call the police if the vehicles can’t be moved after a collision, if injuries or fatalities occurred, or if a driver tried to flee the scene, appears intoxicated, or is uninsured.
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