Jennifer Ann Harrell Killed in Truck Accident in Pearland, TX
Pearland, TX -- An incident involving a passenger vehicle and a disabled tractor-trailer claimed the life of 27-year-old Jennifer Ann Harrell Thursday, January 5, 2017.
Police say the Dodge Charger containing Mrs. Harrell was westbound on IH10 when the incident occurred. It appears a semi-truck, for reasons unknown, was left disabled on the side of the roadway. While the truck was being hooked up by a wrecker, the two vehicles collided, killing Mrs. Harrell at the scene of the incident.
The official investigation into the crash is ongoing and may reveal more details as it concludes.
The preliminary media report provided no further information regarding the incident.
map of the area
Commentary
Considering the details provided by the incident, it's hard to make a determination as to who may be at fault here. But, I know from years of experience in truck accident cases that the information provided by media reports is only a small portion of what actually occurred. I can tell you from litigating similar truck accident cases over the years that plenty collisions were caused by truck drivers neglecting to place proper safety markers in the roadway. Truck drivers are bound by law to adequately place flares or reflective triangles to notify passing traffic that they are stopped on the roadway. According to the report, the truck had been disabled since about 6:30 p.m., and that the collision took place about midnight. This means the collision occurred when the roadway was dark. It's not hard to imagine how an incident might occur without proper signals provided by the driver of the semi. I think it's reasonable to hold judgement as to who may be responsible until after the details of the collision have been thoroughly investigated by a team of reconstructionists.
--Grossman Law Offices
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