George Allen Injured in Truck Accident on FM 2965 in Kaufman County, TX
Kaufman County, TX — November 30, 2022, 79-year-old George Allen was seriously injured in a crash with a tractor-trailer on FM 2965 in Kaufman County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 7:35 p.m. on FM 2965 near Interstate 20. Preliminary investigation suggests a Kenworth semi-truck was towing a trailer north on the roadway when the driver stopped and then started to reverse into a private drive. The truck's trailer was blocking the southbound lanes when Allen approached in a Chevy Silverado 2500 pickup; investigators allege Allen failed to control speed and hit the trailer's front-left quarter.
Allen suffered serious injuries in the collision. The Kenworth driver was unhurt.
No further information is currently available.
It jumps out at me almost immediately that investigators said the injured man failed to control speed, yet didn't utter a peep about the large roadblock across his path. Did investigators feel the truck driver's actions weren't a failure to yield, or were they just too focused on the victim to think about the totality of the accident?
I'm not out to pick on law enforcement, but reading even the basics they reported it seems like there's more to the story than the victim not hitting the brakes. First and foremost he wouldn't have had to were there not several tons of steel and fiberglass in his way, but even if the traffic-blocking maneuver was somehow justified it's important to find out why he didn't stop. Did he not see the trailer ahead? If not, why not? Were sightlines blocked? Was it too dark? Were the trailer's reflectors and tape dirty or damaged? Were the truck's lights on? If not, why not?
It's oversights like this that make me caution people not to take preliminary reports as the gospel truth of what happened in a crash. Many times they get the broad strokes right but fall well short of telling the whole story--including the victim's side of it. Who'll make sure his voice is heard here?
