Linda Leandra Gonzalez, Daniel Bruce Heinz, 4 Injured in Semi-Truck Accident in Leon County, TX
Leon County, TX -- May 23, 2022, Linda Gonzalez, Daniel Heinz, and four others were injured due to an accident involving a semi-truck.
In their preliminary reports, officials said that the crash happened just after 1:00 p.m. near I-45 mile marker 169.
Authorities said that traffic along southbound lanes slowed due to construction merging lanes. As traffic merged, police say a Kenworth tractor-trailer failed to control speed, slamming into the line of vehicles.
The unidentified truck driver, a 57-year-old Houston man, was said to have incapacitating injuries. 64-year-old Daniel Bruce Heinz in a Dodge Ram 3500 was said to be possibly injured. 40-year-old Linda Leandra Gonzalez, identified as the driver of a Toyota Camry, also had possible injuries along with a man in the Toyota. Two teenagers in Gonzalez's vehicle were said to have incapacitating injuries.
Currently, additional details about the crash are unavailable.
Commentary on Linda Leandra Gonzalez, Daniel Bruce Heinz Semi-Truck Accident in Leon County
With a crash like this, one of my biggest concerns is whether or not folks are really giving it the attention it deserves. Quite frankly, people see a truck driver crash into traffic, and they just assume that it's all going to be straight forward. After all, this sort of thing almost always involves a driver speeding, following too closely, or looking at their phone, right? That may be true, but there are far too many ways a trucking company can muddy the waters, and victims and families in need of help must be prepared to overcome those inevitable obstacles.
I'll give you an example of what can come up in a crash like this. A while back, we handled a case involving a truck driver that fell asleep at the wheel after driving for over 20 hours straight. That was clearly reckless, but why did the driver do something so incredibly reckless? Well, it turned out his employers would routinely set ludicrous deadlines for drivers to meet, expecting them to cut corners and meet those unreasonable expectations. But why did that change things?
Think of it like this. A truck driver is trying to support their family, same as anyone. If they have to choose between being safe on the road and putting food on the table, how long before there's a serious mistake? All those drivers coerced into behaving negligently by their own employer was an accident waiting to happen. When folks come to me for help, they also want to be sure that those responsible for their hardships are held fully accountable. Does punishing one driver do enough to punish a whole reckless company that could continue putting the public in danger?
Cases like that are unfortunately more common than folks would think. For inexperienced attorneys, though, that easy solution is all too tempting, and important details tend to slip through the cracks. That's why I so often stress to people the importance of having experienced and well-equipped allies on their side. Getting the resolution they deserve means knowing the full story.
Maybe this was just a reckless driver, maybe this was someone put an environment where a crash was inevitable, or maybe this is some one-in-a-million, unpredictable accident. Whatever the case, getting clear evidence will be crucial in getting the victims and families the help they deserve.
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