Francesca Moreno Injured in Truck Accident on US-377 in Aubrey, TX
Aubrey, TX — November 3, 2022, 51-year-old Francesca Moreno was seriously injured in a crash with a commercial truck on US-377 in Denton County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:50 p.m. on U.S. Highway 377 near Belew Road. According to investigators, Moreno told them she was driving a Toyota Corolla north on the highway when she activated her turn signal and started to turn left onto Belew Road. She realized it was closed, turned off her blinker, and started northward again when she collided with the rear of a passing 18-wheeler.
The truck driver told police he saw the Toyota signal and start to turn so he started to pass on the improved right shoulder. The car ran into the rear-left quarter of his trailer as it changed course back northward.
Moreno suffered serious injuries in the collision. The truck driver was unhurt.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Francesca Moreno Accident in Aubrey
Some may read the two drivers' stories here and reach their own conclusions about who's at fault for the damage done. On the one hand, the victim started to turn and the truck driver reacted to what he thought she was doing before she changed her mind. On the other, the trucker's response to that wasn't to slow or stop, but instead to try and barrel on through using the shoulder.
Is passing that way legal? Under the circumstances, quite possibly. However, was it better or safer than just slowing down? Unlikely, but knowing for sure would require more details like the truck's speed, how far away from the car it was, how long the victim had her blinker on, whether the truck driver's full attention was on the road, and many others. If there wasn't time to brake that's one thing, but if the driver was just impatient or reacted late due to being distracted that's another.
Situations like this are why I so often talk about how important it is to investigate carefully and take nothing for granted. Each driver has their own account of how things went, and the way to resolve any inconsistencies or doubts is to let only objective facts tell the story. Will police take the time and care to do that here?
