Deadly Truck Crashes a Tragic Way of Life in Some South Texas Counties

The Eagle Ford Shale energy boom has brought jobs and a certain amount of prosperity to McMullen and LaSalle counties in South Texas. But the resulting commercial truck traffic has brought more death to the area’s roadways as well, according to a study by the San Antonio Express-News.

According to the newspaper, 

Since the beginning of the boom, accidents involving commercial vehicles have increased more than tenfold, from four crashes in 2008 to 46 crashes in 2011, according to crash data compiled by the Texas Department of Transportation.

Neighboring La Salle County has had a 418 percent increase in that type of crash since 2008.…

The most frequently cited causes for McMullen County accidents were truck drivers ignoring signs in construction zones and defective headlights, according to the TxDOT data.

Not only do those accidents cause fatalities—the latest victim was tanker truck driver Jorge Luis Rios, who was killed when a second tanker truck failed to yield the right of way and slammed into him—but they also wreak havoc on nearby residents and make routine errands almost unbearable, local residents complained to the Express-News. They have also taken a toll on area roads, the newspaper reported.

When people suffer catastrophic injuries and wrongful death in trucking accidents, the lawyers at The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson work hard to identify the responsible parties and hold them accountable. The Law Offices of Frank Branson is not involved in this case.

Whether the cause is driver fatigue, improper truck maintenance, and/or improper screening, training and supervision of drivers, the Dallas truck accident lawyers at The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson have the experience, resources and technical abilities to determine what happened and who should be held responsible.