One Injured in 18-Wheeler Crash, Fire on TX-130 in Travis County
Travis County, TX -- May 29, 2022, one person was injured when their 18-wheeler ran off State Highway 130 and caught fire in Travis County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 6:15 p.m. on South TX-130 near Farm to Market Road 812. Preliminary investigation suggests an 18-wheeler was traveling on the roadway when the driver lost control for unknown reasons. The truck ran off the road near an overpass and crashed down an embankment, after which it caught fire. During the crash the truck's trailer detached and rolled over.
The 41-year-old truck driver was pinned after the crash and had to be extricated by responders. Once freed from the truck they were airlifted to an Austin hospital for treatment of possible serious injuries.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on 18-Wheeler Crash on US-59 in Lufkin
Right now nobody can really say how or why this accident happened. Some may see a truck ran off the road and get ready to blame the driver for doing something unsafe, like speeding or losing control while looking at their phone. It's possible further investigation would find something like that, but it's never a good idea to start pointing fingers before all the facts are in.
For all anyone knows right now the crash could have been due to the truck hitting a bad patch of road or the driver having to swerve because someone else cut them off. The big rig could also have had a mechanical failure or blown a tire, causing the driver to lose control. That's just a few of many less-common explanations, each of which deserves due consideration.
The only way to know exactly what happened is to investigate carefully and get as much clear evidence as possible. When there's a better understanding of the facts, any further steps may become clearer.
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