Elvin Gonzalez Injured in Crash on I-20 in Palo Pinto County, TX
Palo Pinto County, TX — June 10, 2022, 33-year-old Elvin Gonzalez was injured in a crash with a commercial truck on Interstate 20 in Palo Pinto County.
According to reports the incident happened around 8:00 p.m. on I-20 near mile marker 377. Preliminary investigation suggests Gonzalez was driving a Toyota 4Runner east on the highway in the left lane. Nearby, a Chevy Silverado C1500 pickup was pulling a trailer in east behind the Toyota.
According to reports the Chevy driver tried to pass the 4Runner in the slow lane and may have cut Gonzalez off while merging back left. Gonzalez took evasive action and steered left, then may have over-corrected back to the right. The Toyota ran off the right side of the road into the south ditch. It overturned and rolled multiple times before coming to rest back in the roadway.
Gonzalez suffered serious injuries in the crash. None of the Chevy's 3 occupants were hurt.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Elvin Gonzalez Accident in Palo Pinto County
A lot of people look at crashes and immediately try to find a single thing to blame--a "bad guy" to hold accountable. However, many accidents are actually due to several factors acting in combination. For instance, police said this crash may have been partly due to a possible unsafe lane change on the Chevy driver's part but also suggested the victim used "faulty evasive maneuvers."
Rather than pointing fingers at either driver as solely to blame, prudent investigators consider how both of them acted before and during the wreck. They also look for other possible factors like road conditions, vehicle malfunctions, and bad weather. The goal is to gain a clear picture of how and why things happened the way they did.
Ultimately the most important thing after a crash is that someone takes the time to investigate it carefully. Police don't always have the time or resources to do that, so if there's any doubt or confusion about how things happened (there often is) then it can be helpful to get independent investigators to have another look. At the very least the victim deserves to know no stone was left unturned.
