Zachary Alan Wilkinson Killed in Truck Accident in Goliad County, TX
Goliad County, TX -- January 23, 2023, Zachary Wilkinson was killed due to an accident where two semi-trucks collided.
Initial details said that the crash happened along US Highway 183 just outside of the town of Goliad. Sources have differing details about the fatal crash. They say that Zachary Alan Wilkinson was in a semi-truck traveling northbound along the highway. The Victoria Advocate quotes DPS Sgt. Ruben San Miguel as saying it happened in a construction zone at around 11:30 a.m.
Apparently, Wilkinson was in a box truck reportedly owned by UPS when it somehow crashed into the back of a semi-truck which was stopped in the construction traffic. Due to the collision, Wilkinson sustained fatal injuries. Additional details have not been confirmed.
On this blog, I often try to emphasize to those less experienced just how incredibly challenging it is to be a commercial truck driver. People often think it's just a bigger car, but the reality is it takes hours and miles of training to do so safely. Not only that, but the challenges truck drivers have to face are far beyond what the average motorist has to face.
That's why when I see crashes like the one described here, my concern is whether or not the details are being handled by accident reconstructionists the understand these challenges. A lot of people simply see a rear-end collision and just assume the driver did something wrong. Is something like distraction or fatigue more common? Sure, but that's no reason to overlook other possibilities.
Were there mechanical issues with the truck? Did authorities pull the maintenance records? Was the driver given a poorly maintained vehicle to drive? Were they coerced into working dangerously long hours? Was there something wrong with the roadway itself? Was the construction zone unnecessarily hazardous for traffic? Was this something unpredictable like a manufacturing defect or a medical emergency?
Simply put, if these questions and more aren't being answered, then the concern is that the victim's loved ones may not be getting the answers they deserve.
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