Alfred & Angela Mock Killed, Billy, Timothy Mock, Others Injured in McKinney, TX, Accident
McKinney, TX -- March 6, 2017, Alfred and Angela Mock were killed, seven others were injured after an accident where multiple vehicles crashed on US 380.
Authorities from the Collin County Sheriff's Department were called to the scene around 2:15 p.m. The crash happened near the intersection of County Road 330 and US Highway 380.
According to preliminary investigations, a Ford SUV driven by 17-year-old Danielle Whitman was traveling westbound along the highway. For reasons yet to be determined, the SUV struck the side of a Dodge pickup driven by an unidentified 16-year-old, causing it to swerve into oncoming lanes.
This resulted in a head-on collision between the pickup and an eastbound suburban occupied by 86-year-old Alfred Mock, 60-year-old Angela Mock, 81-year-old Billy Mock, and 31-year-old Timothy Mock. The suburban was then struck by a tanker truck, occupied by Jeffery and Sandra Hollomon, also in eastbound lanes.
Following the accident, Alfred Mock suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. Angela Mock was taken to a local hospital where eventually succumbed to her injuries. Billy and Timothy Mock were both taken to hospitals with unspecified injuries.
The 16-year-old driving the pickup was said to be in critical condition, and he was flown to a nearby hospital. Three teenage passengers from the pickup were also taken to hospitals for treatment.
Jeffrey Hollomon and Sandra Hollomon, 55 and 57 respectively, had non-critical injuries, for which they were taken to a hospital. Whitman's injuries were also non-life-threatening, and she was taken to a hospital.
DPS officials say that investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing. No charges or citations have been reported, and no additional details are available at this time.
Map of the Area
Commentary
A lot of attorneys will look at an accident like this, see that a commercial truck is involved, and move heaven and earth to pin liability on the truck driver. The reason for this is that commercial vehicle policies have much higher limits than non-commercial policies. These are the types of attorneys who give the profession a bad name.
At its core, the law is about obtaining justice. I fail to see how trying to blame an innocent driver, just because they have more insurance money furthers that end. With that being said, it would be equally irresponsible to assume that because other vehicles apparently started this accident, the commercial truck is completely innocent. A measured approach to approach to justice requires that we go where the evidence takes us. This means that one can never know exactly what happened from a news story or a police reports. Complex accidents demand independent, professional investigations.
One key question that any investigation has to answer is, "How much time did the truck have to avoid the accident?" There are plenty of accidents where someone just veers into the path of a truck, and there's nothing the driver can do to avoid a crash. However, I have also seen plenty of cases where someone was hit or came to a stop in the path of an oncoming truck, and the truck had plenty of time to either stop or go around the vehicle.
When so many vehicles are involved in an accident, understanding what really happened often relies on very subtle details, and DPS troopers often aren't looking for such factors during their investigations. In order for those affected by this accident to get a full measure of justice, this accident will need to be investigated by an independent truck accident expert. Any accident with serious and fatal injuries warrants nothing less.
--Grossman Law Offices
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