Four Injured in Tractor-trailer Van Accident on US 64 in Davie County, NC
Davie County, NC -- January 12, 2021, four people sustained injuries after an accident where a van and a tractor-trailer collided on US 64.
Investigators with the North Carolina Highway Patrol reported that the crash happened at around 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of US 64 and Fork Bixby Road.
Preliminary reports said that a van was driving along Fork Bixby at the time. That van reportedly pulled into the path of tractor-trailer that was traveling along US 64. The two vehicles then collided.
Four people from the van were taken to an area hospital, the driver said to be in serious condition. No other injuries were reported. Authorities did not give additional details about the crash.
Commentary on Tractor-Trailer Van Accident on US 64 in Davie County
These reports seem pretty clear that the van pulled into the path of a tractor trailer from a stop sign. It doesn't seem very likely that this sort of thing would happen without the van driver doing something wrong. That said, I always talk about the importance of remaining prudently skeptical until all the facts come to light, and a crash like this is no exception. I've seen far too many examples of initial reports being completely wrong throughout my 30 year career to take a report like this at face value.
For example, there was a case here in Texas with similar details, where police said a pickup blew through a stop sign. An 18-wheeler t-boned the pickup, and the pickup driver died as a result. While I didn't litigate that accident, I was discussing it with an acquaintance who did accident reconstruction out in the area. Apparently, the public never got to hear what really happened. The Department of Transportation had been working at the intersection earlier in the day, and they removed the stop signs. When they left, however, they failed to replace the stop signs. As a result, the victim had no idea they were even supposed to stop.
I'm not trying to say something like that happened here, but it's just one of many examples that taught me never to jump to conclusions without seeing all the facts. I take any chance I can get to encourage others to do the same.
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