EL PASO, Texas -- John Tran, 41, was seriously injured after his vehicle was struck by a semi-truck while traveling northbound on North Desert near East Loop 375.
Per initial reports, the semi-truck executed a lane change to the right, ultimately striking Tran’s vehicle and causing damage to both vehicles.
Tran complained of pain after the collision; no other injuries were reported.
No further information was immediately available.
Thoughts on the truck accident in El Paso
It is incredibly fortunate that there were no fatalities in this collision, and our best wishes go to Mr. Tran as he recovers from his injuries. Before formulating a legal strategy, an investigation must be conducted to determine all parties responsible for this accident.
All drivers have a duty to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings while operating a vehicle, and semi-truck drivers are no exception. Semi-trucks are significantly larger than most of the vehicles they travel amongst and consequentially have much larger blind spots than other vehicles. Regardless, semi-truck drivers must take the time needed to confirm there are no other vehicles in their path before executing a lane change. Additionally, semi-trucks require significantly more space to execute lane changes and are not permitted to cut off unsuspecting victims for their own convenience.
If the investigation concludes the driver of the truck in this incident failed to execute the lane change safely, the driver must be held responsible for the harm he caused to Mr. Tran.
There is another, all too common reason for the unsafe operation of semi-trucks: lack of proper training. It is incumbent upon employers of semi-truck drivers to ensure that drivers receive adequate safety training before driving such vehicles. We find that employers often rush such training, fail to confirm that employees can implement the training, and fail to refresh employees on training content. If the investigation concludes that improper training was present in this case, Mr. Tran may be able to recover against the driver’s employer.
Disclaimer: Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources and has not been independently verified. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.
