April Sims Killed in Pecos County, TX, 18-wheeler Accident
Pecos County, TX -- January 16, 2017, April Sims was killed following an 18-wheeler accident in which her vehicle and a truck collided head-on.
Initial reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety indicate that the fatal accident occurred along FM 1053.
According to their investigations, 41-year-old Sims was northbound on the roadway in a Volkswagen car. As she did so, police allege that her vehicle crossed over into southbound lanes, putting her into the path of an oncoming 18-wheeler. The 18-wheeler reportedly took evasive maneuvers by entering northbound lanes as the Volkswagen crossed back over into its original lane.
As a result, the two vehicles crashed head-on with each other. Sims suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene of the accident. The truck driver, David Benavides, was not injured.
At this time, police have not reported any charges or citations. It's not clear what factors contributed to the accident.
Investigations are ongoing.
Map of the Area
Commentary
Let's look at the details that have been reported about this accident. Sims's vehicle crosses into southbound traffic. The southbound 18-wheeler crosses into northbound traffic to avoid the accident. Sims's vehicle crossed back into her original lane, putting her in the path of the oncoming 18-wheeler. Having seen hundreds of truck accidents over the years, this fact pattern is incredibly strange to me.
In situations like these, where the story that is being reported just doesn't make a lot of sense, the only way to know what really happened is if the physical evidence corroborates the witness testimony. I'm not talking about just what the police gathered at the scene of the accident, since their focus is on determining if a crime was committed, but the kind of investigation done by an outside party, whose purpose is to determine what actually happened.
--Grossman Law Offices
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