MILAM COUNTY, Texas—Two people have been confirmed dead after emergency crews responded to a seven-vehicle crash in Milam County, Texas. The accident occurred near U.S. Highway 77 and County Road 230 on September 5, 2022.
Authorities have not released information regarding the people injured or the makes and models of the vehicle. Additionally, the cause of the crash was not immediately apparent.
The investigation is still ongoing; no additional information about the crash has been released.
Further investigation is needed before fault can be determined and justice provided
Many of the facts surrounding this accident are still unknown. However, in a crash involving seven different vehicles, it is important to analyze whether the severity of the accident may have been lessened with faster emergency response and/or more emphasis on safety.
For example, many cities in Texas have experienced rapid population growth over the last decade, leading to overcrowded roadways and making it difficult for first responders to reach the scene of an accident as quickly as they once had. This accident may have begun with one or two vehicles but quickly affected more cars passing by. Every second that emergency crews are not on the scene puts other vehicles at risk of being affected by the crash. Thus, it is important for an independent investigator to thoroughly analyze whether the response time to this crash was appropriate or unnecessarily delayed worsening the severity of the accident.
Accidents involving multiple semi-trucks are also inherently more dangerous than a crash between two or more passenger cars. Semi-trucks are extremely heavy and require a longer stopping distance to avoid crashes. What we know so far is that this accident involved two semi-trucks, which may have contributed to the fatalities in this incident. For these reasons, semi-truck drivers must remain especially vigilant on the roadway and take evasive actions to avoid collisions (including existing collisions).
In some cases, semi-truck drivers may not have been trained on how to avoid multi-vehicle accidents, and this lack of proper training can lead to more serious consequences for those involved in crashes on busy interstate highways. Should investigators determine that the presence of untrained semi-truck drivers worsened the severity of this crash, the families of the decedents may be able to recover through the legal system against the drivers or any trucking company responsible for educating its drivers.
Although we cannot know with certainty what caused this accident, it is important that those involved get the answers they deserve, which can only be obtained through an independent investigation into the crash. Our firm offers legal strategies for victims of multi-vehicle crashes, and we have performed hundreds of investigations into accidents, including those involving semi-trucks. We pray for the families who lost loved ones in this crash and hope those that were injured recover quickly.