Rex Daniel Wood, Kito Chantal Chapman Injured in Truck Accident in Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth, TX -- March 23, 2022. Rex Daniel Wood and Kito Chantal Chapman were injured due to an accident where a truck crashed into their vehicles.
Investigators reported that the crash took place at around 8:29 a.m. along Loop 820 near Westpoint Boulevard.
Initial details said that 64-year-old Rex Daniel Wood and 40-year-old Kito Chantal Chapman were each in vehicles traveling southbound on Loop 820. Traffic slowed down and came to a stop, following which a semi-trailer reportedly did not slow down in time, rear-ending the line of vehicles.
Due to the collision, both Wood and Chapman were said to have non-incapacitating injuries. The truck driver reportedly said that Wood's vehicle "cut in front of" the truck, but police say that Chapman told them Wood's vehicle was already behind her.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Rex Wood, Kito Chapman Truck Accident in Fort Worth
There's no way for me to say what did or didn't happen here. The truck driver reportedly telling authorities one of the drivers cut in front of them. It's possible police are overlooking something or simply that the truck driver is mistaken. A lot of times, however, it's just typical blame-shifting. A trucking company or insurance company's number one priority after a crash is to avoid as much responsibility as possible. They usually do so by just trying to blame the victims for doing something wrong. Having clear evidence to the contrary is obviously helpful, but getting that evidence isn't always as straight-forward as one may think.
For example, I had this case not long where a truck rear-ended someone, and it was pretty darn clear they were on their phone. However, it was out responsibility to prove as much. Unfortunately, the company was trying to claim that their driver didn't even own a cell phone. As ridiculous as that is, it took putting the driver through a lengthy deposition and getting them to trip over their own stories for them to finally admit the driver did in fact have a cell phone. With that, we got a court order for the records, which clearly showed the truck driver had been watching pornography instead of the road at the time of the crash.
I'm not saying anything so ludicrous is happening here, but folks often see rear-end collisions like this as a straight line from the crash to the help they victims deserve. In reality, it's a complex maze of legal hoops and imposing obstacles put up by companies who want to give as little help to people as they possibly can. Navigating this maze and overcoming those obstacles is best accomplished with clear, convincing evidence. Having the tools and allies to gather that evidence is always a prudent first step to getting people the resolution they deserve.
[jump]
