Azael Garza Rabago Killed by 18-Wheeler on I-20 in Mitchell County, TX
UPDATE (January 24, 2022): The victim of this accident was later identified as 53-year-old Azael Garza Rabago.
Mitchell County, TX — June 27, 2022, a construction worker was struck and killed by an 18-wheeler on Interstate 20 in Mitchell County.
Reports say the incident happened around 7:45 p.m. on I-20 near mile marker 204. Preliminary investigation suggests a Peterbilt semi-truck was towing a trailer west on the roadway when it approached a construction zone where traffic was funneled into the left lane. The driver moved left but ran off the road into the median. He over-corrected and lost control; the truck ran into the construction zone and he counter-steered hard once more.
As the big rig moved back into the left lane its towed trailer, still in the right lane, hit a worker in the construction zone.
The worker was fatally injured in the collision. No other injuries were reported.
No further information is currently available.
If reports have their facts straight it sure seems like the truck driver screwed up here. The truck didn't move over in time, then fishtailed back and forth while the driver tried to square up with the open lane, and its trailer fatally injured someone. With details like those, is there really any doubt about who's to blame for the damage done?
It may surprise people to learn that there's almost always some ambiguity to fault during preliminary investigations. The facts certainly seem to point to the truck driver being entirely to blame, but I've warned many people who thought reports made their side of the story quite clear that trucking companies can be startlingly creative about getting out of trouble.
Most companies have clear "battle plans" laid out in case their employees hurt someone. Click below to learn more about those plans and what must be done to overcome them.
