Eric Castillo Injured in 18-wheeler Accident in Cameron County, TX
Cameron County, TX -- April 9, 2022, Eric Castillo was injured due to an accident where an 18-wheeler crashed with Castillo's vehicle.
Investigators reported that the crash took place at around 9:30 p.m. along US Highway 281 in the area of Webber Road.
According to officials, 27-year-old Eric Castillo was in a vehicle traveling eastbound along the highway. Ahead, an oncoming 18-wheeler reportedly attempted a left turn, couldn't make it, then began backing up to try again. While the trailer and truck were in the eastbound lane, Castillo's vehicle crashed into the tractor-trailer.
Castillo reportedly had incapacitating injuries due to the crash. Police say they believe Castillo failed to control speed. No further information can be confirmed at this time.
Commentary on Eric Castillo 18-wheeler Accident in Cameron County
I just want to be clear that I can't say anything more about what happened here than what's in these reports. I also have no specific evidence to deny any of the claims made by authorities. With that said, I do have decades of experience handling hundreds of commercial vehicle wrecks. When something seems out of place to me, I find it can be helpful to people to understand why. So what exactly is it about this crash that doesn't sit right with me?
To put it simply, the authorities seem to put all the blame on the driver here. They go on to explain that the truck driver waited for some vehicles to pass before turning, they couldn't make the turn due to the size of the vehicle, and they had working trailer lights at the time. The belief is apparently that the victim should have been able to see and avoid hitting the truck blocking eastbound lanes. Is that possible? Absolutely. Drivers have a responsibility to avoid reasonably avoidable accidents. If they don't, it can be a sign they were engaging in negligent behavior. Perhaps evidence will show that happened here.
With that said, thinking back to all the cases where a truck turned across oncoming lanes, and a crash occurred, I can think of few if any scenarios where the evidence didn't show that the truck driver messed up. This driver waited for a few vehicles to pass. Did they just assume the victim would slow down for them? Did they somehow failed to see the victim's oncoming vehicle? Were there extenuating circumstances such as poor visibility authorities failed to mention? Furthermore, how did authorities confirm the truck's trailer lights were on? Just a month or so ago, there was a story out of Utah where someone hit an 18-wheeler after it pulled onto the interstate before it turned its lights on. Could it be something similar happened here?
One way or another, it is highly unlikely that this crash is as one-sided as reports make it seem. Whoever would ultimately be responsible for all of this, the reports I'm seeing are far from what I would consider conclusive. That's why it's often so crucial to ensure that victims and families have the tools and allies to bring all the facts to light. If there's more to this story, it needs to be addressed more thoroughly.
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