One Killed, One Injured in Crash with 18-Wheeler on SH 17 in Pecos, TX
Pecos, TX — October 14, 2022, one person died and another was injured in a crash with an 18-wheeler on State Highway 17 in Reeves County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:05 a.m. on Highway 17 at the south service road. Preliminary investigation suggests the victims were traveling east on the highway in a Ford Edge when a westbound International tractor-trailer started to turn left onto the southbound service road ahead of them. The Ford crashed into the rear passenger side of the semi-trailer in the eastbound lanes.
The Ford's 28-year-old passenger died in the collision. Its 37-year-old driver received serious injuries. The truck driver was reportedly unhurt.
No further information is currently available.
Investigators seem to think the car was speeding on the highway and the driver didn't give the truck time to finish its turn. I wasn't there and have no specific reason to dispute that, but it's a little confusing to me that the truck turned at all if a vehicle was rapidly passing through the area. Just about every driver is aware that turning traffic is meant to yield to thru-traffic in most situations, so why didn't that happen here? Did the trucker misjudge the time he'd need for the turn, or not realize the Ford was (allegedly) traveling at high speeds? Did something keep the Ford driver from seeing the truck in his path? How visible was the truck to approaching traffic? Were its trailer, tape, and reflectors clean and intact? Are there lights in that area?
The point isn't to complicate things, but actually to clarify them by resolving the many, many lingering questions that police seldom address. Saying the car hit the truck without greater context than simple speeding is a disservice to the victims; if police say the Ford driver is at fault, who will find out his side of the story?
