Woman Injured in Crash with Two Commercial Trucks on I-10 in San Antonio, TX
San Antonio, TX -- April 7, 2022, a 33-year-old woman was injured in a crash with two commercial trucks on Interstate 10 in San Antonio.
Authorities say the incident happened around 5:30 p.m. on I-10 near La Cantera Parkway. Preliminary investigation and statements from the people involved suggest a Freightliner semi-truck was towing a trailer south on the roadway when the driver started to change lanes. The driver alleged he didn't see the Audi SUV next to him and the truck hit that vehicle. After the first impact the SUV ran off-course and hit a nearby Kenworth truck, then ran off the road into a ditch. A witness later told police the Audi and the Freightliner both started to merge into the same lane and the Audi was mostly in it when the truck crossed in and hit it.
The Audi driver reportedly sustained minor injuries in the wreck. Neither truck driver was hurt.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Truck Accident on I-10 in San Antonio
It seems from the statements given to police that the truck driver's unsafe lane change may have been the trigger for the crash and the victim's injuries. That seems subject to some debate however if the truck driver or his employer wanted to argue the Audi was in a blind spot or merged unsafely at the same time as the big rig. That's not to say either argument is actually true, but given the description of the crash either or both might be used by the company to shift the blame away from their employee. The best way to ensure the whole truth is known and only the clear facts tell the story is to investigate carefully and thoroughly, gathering objective evidence along the way.
Of course all that talk of company defense tactics and careful investigation may be moot here. If the victim's injuries were minor as reports claim she may not feel the need to pursue any action against the truck driver or company. I hope reports are right about her damages, but I've seen many cases where early reports didn't have the needed facts to accurately say how bad things were.
Here's an example: Not long ago I worked on a case where a man's supposedly-minor back injury turned to paralyzing pain within a week of his crash with a big rig. Scans showed that his "sore back" was actually a ruptured spinal disk and its effects just took a short while to really show. Not only did that injury require extensive testing and surgery, but it also took months of legal battles with the at-fault company's insurer before they agreed to help. Very little about his experience was really "minor."
I hope nothing like that happens after this accident and there's no particular reason to think it will. However, the possibility that things aren't quite what they seem is one of the reasons I always tell folks they need to take every truck wreck seriously--even if its impact seems minimal. At worst a victim is overprepared and no action is necessary, which is always better than the opposite.
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