Bret McGee, Hunter Thibodaux Injured in Semi-Truck Accident in Sabine County, TX
Sabine County, TX -- January 11, 2023, Bret McGee and Hunter Thibodaux were injured due to an accident where a semi-truck hit their pickup.
Investigators responded to the area of the Lost Frontier RV Park on Highway 21 at around 4:30 p.m. Details say that 23-year-old Bret McGee and 22-year-old Hunter Thibodaux were in a pickup traveling along the highway. As the pickup slowed to make a turn, a semi-truck crashed into the back of the pickup.
Both McGee and Thibodaux were sent to area hospitals. No other injuries were reported. It's unclear if authorities plan to file charges or citations. Frankly, that's a bit concerning.
Unless the Press left something out (which, knowing the Press, is a distinct possibility), it’s strange that new reports don’t mention anything about potential criminal charges. There’s a man who died in a manner that usually suggests the other driver screwed up. Is this guy’s family just supposed to say "Accidents happen" and move on with an empty chair at the table at the holidays? Or are there ways to ensure the truth comes to light?
To be rather blunt, in the vast majority of the hundreds of commercial vehicle wrecks with which I've had experience, this sort of situation is due to the truck driver being on their phone or following too closely. It would not surprise me for evidence to show the same here. But it's important that folks understand why thorough investigations are so necessary even when the facts seem clear.
First of all, despite the common misconception, a driver isn't automatically responsible for rear-ending someone. For all we know, this is one of those highly unusual situations caused by something like a mechanical defect or a medical emergency. Folks can have suspicions based on what the most likely explanation is, but without evidence, it's little more than speculation.
Second of all, though, even evidence which seems to clearly put the rear driver at fault may require more thorough investigation. For example, I handled a situation not long ago involving a truck driver texting and driving. As clear as that seemed, it turned out he was essentially forced to do so by his idiot supervisor that cared more about micromanaging his workers than the safety of the general public (or his own employee for that matter). What folks would see as an open-and-shut case of a reckless driver turned out to be a whole company that needed to clean up its act before more people were hurt by their actions.
So when I read details like those currently surrounding this crash, I can recall the countless times investigations clearly showed that nothing out of the ordinary happened, and the truck driver did something wrong. But to put it simply, families who lost a loved one in a truck accident are better off knowing more than they are knowing less.
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