Jamie Dakota Henderson Injured in Truck Accident on U.S. 69 in Smith County, TX
UPDATE (November 15, 2023): Further information released by authorities identified the victim injured in the crash as 35-year-old Jamie Dakota Henderson. They didn't release any additional details at this time.
Smith County, TX — October 31, 2023, a man sustained injuries as the result of a commercial truck accident at around 6:50 a.m. along U.S. 69.
Authorities released initial details from their investigations, saying that the crash occurred at the intersection of U.S. 69 and County Road 145/Robert Walker Road.
Officials said that a 35-year-old man was driving a GMC Sierra northbound along the highway. At a private drive ahead, authorities say that a commercial truck turned onto northbound lanes toward the left turn lane on the median. In doing so, it entered the path of the GMC, and the vehicles collided.
The GMC driver was taken from the scene with apparently incapacitating injuries. There were no other reported injuries.
One has to wonder how exactly a driver would fail to judge the distance of an approaching vehicle badly enough to get into an accident like this. But one thing to consider is the time at which the crash reportedly occurred. It was just before sunrise, which actually tends to be worse for visibility than if it were simply dark outside. Headlights aren't always as obvious as they would be in the middle of the night, so drivers can miss them if they aren't careful.
But this isn't to suggest a professional truck driver would be off the hook for failing to see an approaching vehicle in such conditions. On the contrary, they should have the experience and training to adjust their behavior appropriately. In fact, I, as an ordinary motorist, would also have to live up to that level of care, let alone the significantly higher standard to which the law holds commercial drivers.
Could it be this all was something the truck driver couldn't avoid? Sure, but it's just not that common. It's a lot more common for this to happen because a driver was being impatient or simply wasn't looking at the road. I wonder if authorities ever found clear evidence about what the actual cause of the crash was.
