One Adult and One Child Killed After Hitting a Tractor Trailer in Jim Wells County

An accident in Jim Wells County on May 16th claimed the life of an adult, a child, and left a second child in the hospital. The accident occurred around 10 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. Route 281 and County Road 116. 

A tractor trailer was heading north in the outside lane of U.S. Route 281 when an SUV driving east on County Road 116 failed to yield the right-of-way and struck the tractor trailer 

A 10-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. One additional child and the driver, a 72-year-old woman, were taken to the hospital. The driver died of her injuries on the morning of May 18th. The status of the child hasn’t been updated.

The Department of Public Safety is currently investigating the crash.

Facts About Tractor Trailer Accidents

In 2021, there were 25,925 crashes involving truck-tractor/semi-trailer vehicles in Texas. 536 of these crashes involved fatalities. Because of their size and weight, a crash into these large vehicles can be devastating. While some safety equipment improvements have helped prevent some hazards, there are still plenty of serious crashes every year.

It’s incredibly important to drive safely around semi-trucks. Not only do these vehicles have a wide turning radius, they also have large blind spots. The height of these vehicles also makes injuries more likely in the event of a crash.

Semi-trucks also take much more time to slow down when loaded. Large vehicles like trucks need about the length of two football fields to stop in good conditions.  If the road is wet or otherwise slick they will take longer to stop safely. 

There are some common sense precautions all drivers should take when they’re sharing the road with semi-trucks:

  • Stay out of blind spots around the vehicle
  • Make sure the driver sees you; if you can see them, they can likely see you
  • Stay away from turning trucks
  • If you must pass a truck, stay in the blind spots for as little of a time as possible
  • Don’t pass a truck from the right lane
  • Slow down and stay on the right side when a truck or other large vehicle is passing you
  • Never try to pass a semi-truck while on a downgrade
  • Don’t cut quickly in front of a truck
  • Stay away from the back of a semi even if it’s parked since it can roll backwards

If you’ve been injured in a trucking accident, contact our experienced personal injury attorneys at Villalobos Law Firm to get started on your case.

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Source: KIITV

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