According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, one person was killed and another was seriously injured in a Texas truck crash involving an 18-wheeler and an aluminum tanker on US Highway 290 just east of FM 2104 in Paige, Texas yesterday morning. The deceased was later identified as 42-year-old Pascual Rueda-Orozco of Houston, who was driving the 18-wheeler, which was carrying seafood at the time. The 63-year-old driver of the aluminum tanker, which was carrying lime, was severely injured and was transported to University Medical Center Brackenridge via a STAR Flight medical helicopter. He has thus far not been identified.
DPS received the call about the crash at 5:19 a.m., after the two trucks apparently collided head-on on the county line between Bastrop and Lee Counties. US 290 was closed in both directions for about six hours, as DPS Troopers investigated the accident scene and collected data.
According to their preliminary findings, the 18-wheeler was traveling westbound on US 290 and for some reason yet to be determined, the vehicle veered into the eastbound lanes, where it struck the aluminum tanker. While they’re still investigating the actual cause, DPS is using the circumstances of this crash to remind drivers to stay alert at all times when they are behind the wheel, no matter what. They used the opportunity to remind Texas drivers to stay off cell phones and to limit distractions and to pull off the road if they feel tired and rest.
The families of both of these drivers need answers, which is why a thorough investigation is necessary. Accidents involving trucks are always messy and dangerous, based primarily on their size. A lot of factors must be considered in their investigation, including a thorough examination of both drivers, including their qualifications to be driving in the first place and the conditions under which they were driving. Too often, trucking companies try to save money at the expense of safety and they either don’t hire drivers who have been properly trained or they make them drive for more hours than is safe.
Another thing that must be examined is the conditions of the two trucks involved in this accident. It’s possible that one or both of them may have been defective in some way, or that proper maintenance wasn’t performed with the regularity required under the law. The family of the deceased driver and the injured driver and his family deserve as many answers as possible. Anyone and everyone who may have been negligent in this accident should be held responsible.
If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in an accident involving one or more large trucks, please contact the experienced and knowledgeable truck accident lawyer at the Hill Law Firm as soon as possible, so that we can investigate and determine if one or more parties has been negligent and make them take responsibility for it. Let us help you protect your rights under the law.