Robert Walker Killed in Sinton, TX, 18-wheeler Accident
Sinton, TX -- January 14, 2017, Robert Walker was killed following an accident in which his vehicle collided head-on with an 18-wheeler.
According to reports released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the incident occurred around 9:40 a.m. just east of town.
Preliminary investigations indicate that 71-year-old Walker was traveling eastbound on TX-188 in a Ford pickup. In the opposite lanes was an 18-wheeler. As they approached each other, the two vehicles somehow crossed paths. This caused them to collide head-on with each other.
Reports say that Walker suffered fatal injuries in the accident. EMS could not treat him in time, and he died at the scene. No other motorists were injured.
Authorities have not indicated what caused the accident. Their investigations are ongoing.
Map of the Area
Commentary
Looking at some of the reports about this accident, information on what happens ranges from vague to implicating Mr. Walker crossed the center traffic line. This is certainly a possibility, and it does happen quite often. However, I've seen enough of these preliminary reports to know that they're hardly 100% accurate. Oftentimes, early accident reports are missing crucial details or even outright mistaken. A lot of people think that police reports are the ultimate decider of fault following an accident. The truth is that this is often untrue, especially with truck accidents.
A police report is often a general impression on what occurred in an accident. Many accidents are pretty straight-forward, so police reports can be a good source of information on what happened. That being said, there are plenty of accidents which are very complicated and have very subtle details. This leads to police reports that provide an inaccurate or incomplete account of what actually occurred in an accident, and this can leave victims and their families at a disadvantage.
Factor into this that a truck is involved, and things become just that much more complicated. The reason for this is because there are some trucking companies out there who do whatever it takes to avoid liability after an accident. This includes lying to investigators, covering up and destroying evidence, and otherwise influencing investigations in their favor. Our firm has seen accidents where the first two people on the scene were the emergency responders and the trucking company's lawyer. We've seen it many times, and the article below delves into some examples of things our firm has encountered in the past.
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Many of the trucking companies we've dealt with have been very professional. Unfortunately, there's always those bad apples that ruin the reputations of those who do what's right. The simple fact of the matter is when a truck is involved in an accident, there's a lot of money at stake. Trucking companies are not out to lose money, even if it's for the victims of a truck accident. As a result, some companies go to extreme lows to avoid liability after an accident.
No matter what early police reports say, it's important that people understand the risks and complexities they may have after a truck crash. Victims and their families should seek out an independent professional outside of the police to investigate the accident. Having a 3rd party investigator look at an accident ensures that necessary details are collected and subtle or unlikely factors, which police reports often overlook, are uncovered. With the full story and the right preparation, victims and their families can even the scales after a truck accident and take the next steps forward.
--Grossman Law Offices
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