• January 11, 2023

Orange, TX -- December 8, 2022, a Vidor teen was injured after an accident where a semi-truck hit his vehicle along Lutcher Drive.

Initial details given by authorities said that the incident happened at around 5:50 p.m. along Lutcher Drive just off Womack Road.

Information suggests an 18-year-old Vidor resident was on a motorcycle traveling along Lutcher. The motorcycle was going behind a commercial truck when both reportedly began to merge toward the I-10 on-ramp. While doing so, it appears the motorcycle passed the truck on the right, following which the truck somehow hit the motorcycle.

The teen rider sustained injuries said to be incapacitating. No other injuries were reported. At this time, no further information is available.

I've had countless crashes like this come across my desk where the driver of some larger vehicle wasn't keeping a proper lookout and hit a motorcyclist, seriously harming or killing them. Yet a lot of times, people will immediately assume the motorcyclist did something wrong because they just see all riders as inherently reckless. Unfortunately, even authorities can make these mistakes.

Not that long ago, I dealt with a crash where police said witnesses saw a rider speeding and weaving through traffic when they crashed into a semi. When we spoke with the witness, though, the stories didn't at all match. What the witness actually saw was the rider passing him on the left--a perfectly normal, legal maneuver--before a semi turned out of a parking lot, cutting off the rider. The officer simply let his bias warp what he heard, and he failed to look into the evidence further.

I certainly can't say what did or didn't happen here, let alone what is ultimately to blame for the crash. I can say from experience, however, that having as much clear evidence is possible is vital for ensuring victims can tell their side of the story. That's especially true when it comes to negative biases as strong as those against motorcyclists.

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