An injurious wreck on Texas 21 has left one person hospitalized after a series of collisions between two tractor-trailer rigs and four cars. The truck accident occurred around lunchtime near FM 535, according to officers, who say that one of the semi-trucks struck a Ford pickup as it was attempting to turn into a driveway. It appears that the pickup truck was hauling a camper behind it.
After the larger truck struck the pickup, the smaller vehicle was sent careening into oncoming traffic, where it collided with another commercial vehicle that was hauling a load of lumber. Several of the other vehicles involved in the wreck were damaged by flying debris from both of those larger trucks, according to witness reports. Luckily, most of the vehicles remained operable after the incident. At least one victim in the Ford pickup suffered injury in the crash, and emergency rescuers had to forcibly extract an occupant from that vehicle. The name of that driver and his or her medical condition were not disclosed at the time of the crash.
Authorities say that the accident is still under investigation. Officials from law enforcement and fire departments were kept at the scene for several hours, clearing debris from the roadway. The road reopened at about 3:45 p.m., according to news reports.
In this case, a commercial vehicle negligently struck a pickup truck that appears to have been making a legal turn. Officers have not disclosed whether speed, alcohol, distraction or fatigue may have played a role in the wreck, but long-haul truck drivers are notorious for causing crashes because they are too tired to drive. Operators of semi-trucks and other large vehicles have an added responsibility to prevent truck accidents, as they have been specially trained to drive the larger, more dangerous machines. In a civil suit, the driver of an 18-wheeler and the company that owns the rig can both be targeted to provide financial damages to injured parties.
Source: The Statesman, “Wreck in Cedar Creek shut down Texas 21 for four hours” Erin Green, Jan. 08, 2014