Denton, Texas — A 67-year-old man and 66-year-old woman were injured in a Saturday afternoon (01/11/2014) car accident involving an 18-wheeler truck on Interstate 35. The accident occurred in the southbound lanes of I-35E at South Loop 288 (Lillian Miller Parkway) at around 2:00 p.m. and involved a semi-trailer and three SUVs.
Police were originally called to the scene after a witness reported that a tractor-trailer had blown a tire, lost control, and hit several vehicles. During an initial investigation, police say they “learned” that a Chevrolet Suburban had been trying to move into the left lane when it hit the 18-wheeler. They then say that after striking the 18-wheeler truck, the Suburban crossed back over the right lane and hit a Toyota Crossover SUV (likely a Rav4, Highlander or Venza) which was waiting in the exit lane. As a result of the collision, the semi truck lost control, veered across the right lane, and hit a different Toyota Crossover SUV which was also waiting in the exit lane. The two elderly occupants of the Toyota which was struck by the 18-wheeler were injured and transported to to Denton Regional Medical Center. Their conditions are unknown at this time.
I want to say that while I was not at the scene of the accident, I do have serious reservations about the accurateness of the initial investigation. In my line of work as a Dallas car accident lawyer, I have seen first-hand the unscrupulous tactics used by truck drivers to deflect liability onto other drivers. It would not surprise me one bit if the truck driver’s testimony to the arriving police officers heavily influenced the accident report. At that particular section of the highway, the left-most lane and middle lane merge together. This leads me to suspect that the accident may have started there, and not as a result of a driver moving from the right lane into the left.
Again, I was not a witness to the accident, but I feel that an independent investigation is the only way that the victims will get an accurate representation of what caused this accident. I ask that any witnesses leave a comment if they have anything to contribute to the story.
