Daniel Joseph Lord Injured in 18-wheeler Accident in Waller County, TX
Waller County, TX -- December 13, 2021, Daniel Joseph Lord was injured due to an accident where an 18-wheeler crashed into Lord's vehicle.
Authorities reported that the crash took place at around 1:44 p.m. on FM 529. Police said that 20-year-old Daniel Joseph Lord was in a Nissan Juke traveling eastbound along FM 529. Lord slowed to make a left turn into a private drive when an 18-wheeler reportedly failed to control speed and rear-ended Lord's vehicle.
Due to the collision, Lord sustained injuries said to be incapacitating. Police said that the truck driver was taken to a hospital due to having high blood sugar. Reports suggest that may be a factor in the accident. No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Daniel Joseph Lord 18-wheeler Accident in Waller County
Unlike most typical rear-end collisions, this crash may involve some rather complex factors. Police believe that the truck driver was experiencing issues due to some sort of medical condition. It's unclear if that led to the crash or if it came afterward, but it's important to understand what that could mean. When folks hear about a crash resulting from a medical emergency, they just assume everything was completely unavoidable. That can be true, but sometimes it's more foreseeable than that.
To put it simply, a trucking company wouldn't generally be on the hook for a crash that happened because their driver suddenly suffered a medical emergency that they couldn't possible foresee or prevent. Holding a company responsible for a seemingly healthy person having a heart attack or brain aneurysm, for example, would be absolutely ridiculous.
But there are some medical conditions that are relatively manageable and predictable. For example, I had a case a while back where a truck driver had a medical episode that led to a serious crash. When we looked at his records, there was a long, clear history of issues that any responsible employer would have seen. Since putting someone behind the wheel of a truck when they might not be able to do their job safely is basically a ticking time bomb, a company would typically be on the hook for failing to avoid something they could have or should have seen coming.
Maybe nothing like that happened here, but my concern is that folks may be quick to overlook what happened here thinking this was all just some bad luck. If only to make sure those involved here get the help they need, it may be prudent to ensure experienced professionals have a chance to look into things more thoroughly.
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