Man Injured in 18-wheeler Accident on Spencer Highway in Pasadena, TX
Harris County, TX — October 31, 2023, a man sustained injuries following a semi-trailer accident that happened at around 5:53 a.m. along Spencer Highway.
Preliminary details about the accident say that it happened near the intersection of Spencer Highway and Pansy Street, just off the Sam Houston Tollway.
According to officials, a 30-year-old man was in a Chevy Silverado that was going westbound along Spencer Highway. Passing what appears to be a roofing supply business, authorities allege that an 18-wheeler turning left from the private driver failed to yield to the Silverado, resulting in a collision.
The driver of the Silverado had incapacitating injuries due to the crash, statements indicated. There did not appear to be any other reported injuries. Authorities say they recommended a citation for failure to yield against the truck driver. Beyond this, no further information can be confirmed.
Just to be clear up front, I only know what's been publicly stated about this crash, so further information from authorities could change my thoughts on the matter. But based on what I'm seeing right now, I can't help wondering if authorities are really taking this crash seriously enough. They say a truck driver made an easily avoidable mistake, and someone was seriously injured as a result. So why is it they've only reported a recommendation for a failure to yield citation and not anything more serious?
It could be that more serious charges have since been filed and just aren't being reported, or it could be that evidence not available to the public would adequately explain what seems to be a mere slap on the wrist. Or, it could be that this is a crash similar to one I handled not long ago where authorities just weren't being thorough.
In that crash, a truck driver failed to yield turning onto a highway, blocked multiple lanes while doing so, and caused a serious crash. Authorities simply charged the truck driver for failure to yield. But in the course of handling a personal injury case against the trucking company, my team and I found mistakes authorities somehow missed.
One mistake, for instance, was that the trailer's reflective tape was so caked in dirt and grime that it would have been practically invisible when the crash happened. It would have been equally effective to have had no tape at all. That's against federal regulations and can get a company in serious trouble. But authorities came to what they felt was a simple conclusion, and the investigations wrongly stopped there. Had it not been for our independent investigations, that company likely would have dodged a bullet for a mistake that led to someone nearly dying.
Again, I'm not saying anything like that happened here, but I'm used to seeing a lot more information about a truck wreck when it's as serious as this one seems to be. It raises a lot of questions that I can only hope are at least being answered behind the scenes.
