Fernando Robles Killed in Truck Accident on Market Street in Laredo, TX
Laredo, TX -- June 10, 2022, 17-year-old Fernando Robles died in a collision with a tractor-trailer on Market Street in Laredo.
According to reports the incident happened around 10:40 p.m. at the intersection of Market and McClelland Avenue. Preliminary investigation suggests that Robles was driving a Cadillac SRX east along Market Street when a southbound Freightliner 18-wheeler failed to yield the right-of-way at McClelland and pulled into his path. The Cadillac crashed into the right side of the big rig.
Robles suffered fatal injuries in the collision. Neither of the truck's occupants were hurt, and the truck driver reportedly remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Fernando Robles Accident in Laredo
After a crash with details like these folks might be forgiven for thinking everything's tied up pretty well and directing their attention elsewhere. After all, police said the truck driver failed to yield and caused a crash. What more could there be to say?
I often have to caution people against thinking things every really wrap up that easily after a truck accident. Early reports rarely tell the whole story or find every single detail, which leaves a lot of "wiggle room" for trucking and insurance companies whose want to avoid as much responsibility as possible. To be sure they can't do that, victims and families must ensure they have what they need to fill in any blanks and prove their side of the story.
In another situation that came across my desk recently, reports said an 18-wheeler pulled across a highway at night and a car hit the side of its trailer, much like the described crash in Laredo. As open-and-shut as that seemed, the trucking company instead blamed the victim for speeding, not reacting in time, and not wearing a seat belt. Everyone knew they were full of it, but it still fell to us to prove that--so we did.
Our independent investigations found the victim's speedometer froze on impact, which showed he wasn't speeding. We also interviewed the EMS responders from the scene and all of them agreed they had to cut through the victim's seat belt to get them out, meaning it was fastened and working properly. Finally, examination of the trailer showed it was so filthy that its reflectors were barely visible, meaning the rig was practically invisible at the time.
Only after all its ludicrous defenses were overcome did the trucking company grudgingly agree to cooperate, but anyone who assumed the whole thing was cut-and-dried from the preliminary details would have been shocked by how much work went into getting the victims the help they deserved. There are always barriers between victims and justice, so anticipating those barriers will help prepare victims and families to overcome them. Did that happen here?
