Reports coming out of Fort Worth, Texas state that seventeen fatalities and injuries were sustained in a vehicle accident involving an 18-wheeler. More specifically, there were five fatalities, two critical injuries, and ten who suffered minor injuries. According to law enforcement, the accident occurred at about 2:30 AM on I-30, when a driver, who was driving west, crashed into a concrete barrier near Oakland Boulevard. A few people stopped to help, and this is when an 18-wheeler crashed into the group that seemed to be in the lanes of traffic. The collision may have caused the 18-wheeler to burst into flames. Three fatalities have been identified as Veronica Gonzalez, Mary Hernandez, and Clarissa Alexandra Banda-Castillo. Gonzalez’s husband, Ely Alba-Gonzalez was also injured but his condition is not yet known. One person with critical injuries has been identified as Tracey Franklin. The 18-wheeler driver was also injured but not critically.
The proximate cause of the accident is unknown. We wonder if this was a case of a vehicle malfunction, a distracted driving accident, or if there was an obstacle in the road that they were attempting to avoid which may have caused the driver to lose control of their vehicle.
Reports coming out of Jourdanton state that police officer Michael Villarreal was involved in a fatal head-on collision. According to law enforcement, the accident occurred on Highway 97 at about 1:30 PM. Villarreal was driving someone to a detention facility when he collided with a pick-up truck. The passenger in the police car and the driver of the truck were critically injured and are now hospitalized. The cause of the collision is not yet known. We wonder if this was a case of distracted driving. We also wonder if either one of these cases could trigger a wrongful death claim.
— Article by Richard D. Weaver, a Texas personal injury attorney.
