One Killed in Crash with Commercial Truck on TX-349 in Midland County
Midland County, TX -- March 29, 2022, a 47-year-old man was killed in a collision with a commercial truck on State Highway 349 in Midland County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:10 a.m. on TX-349 at County Road 120. Preliminary investigation suggests a Kenworth truck was traveling north on the highway as the victim's eastbound Infiniti SUV stopped at the CR 120 sign. Reports say the victim then started to turn left onto the northbound highway but pulled into the path of the oncoming truck. The truck driver reported locked his brakes trying to stop before hitting the SUV but was unsuccessful.
The Infiniti driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision. The truck driver was unhurt.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Truck Accident on TX-349 in Midland County
Preliminary reports about the crash suggest the victim stopped at the intersection but proceeded when unsafe. It's not clear from the narrative why that might have happened, but before anyone jumps to conclusions or blames the whole thing on a mistake by the victim it's important to account for other potential explanations.
For instance: Could the victim's SUV have had some kind of mechanical or brake problem that kept it from stopping? What about any health problems that might have taken away his control? Could something have obstructed his view of the approaching truck? Were there any other vehicles around at the time? Could bad weather or hazardous road conditions have played a part? Does that area have any history of similar crashes? Is the intersection designed poorly? Ignoring right-of-way for a moment, could the truck driver have done anything differently to avoid the collision or reduce its damage?
I'm not trying to overcomplicate this matter or unfairly blame anyone. Reports even say the truck driver floored his brakes trying not to hit the victim so it's unclear if there was much else he could have done. I just want to make sure all the variables are known, which is an important consideration after any accident. Without looking into all the possibilities no one can be certain why things happened the way they did. Unusual things contribute to accidents all the time but go unnoticed during a "by the book" investigation.
We even saw a recent incident in West Texas where a person supposedly ran a stop sign and fatally crashed with an 18-wheeler, only for us to find out later that TxDOT road crews removed the signs during construction and didn't put them back. The victim didn't even know he had to stop there, but until that fact came to light police reports and public opinion were unfairly against him.
I'm certainly not saying the Midland County crash is identical to that, considering the victim reportedly stopped for a posted sign before proceeding. My point is more that many crashes aren't as simple as they might appear and crucial details are often misunderstood or missed entirely. The victim's loved ones deserve know that every effort was made to find the whole truth. Will police be as thorough as is needed to get it, or would an independent investigator stand a better chance of learning all the facts?
[jump]
