Longview, TX — Two people were sent to the hospital when their pickup truck collided with the rear-end of a tanker truck hauling soapy water on Interstate 20 in Longview, Texas. The accident occurred around 4:30 in the afternoon.
According to reports, the drivers of the pickup were hauling oil field pipe. The names of the those inside the pickup have not been released. Both individuals were taken to an area hospital.
The driver of the tanker truck was not injured. At this time, the cause of the accident is unknown. Police are investigating to see if speed, or possible alcohol were contributing factors.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
There are still a lot of unanswered questions here. From what the media has reported, it seems as if the driver of the pickup truck is at fault for the accident, so let’s go off that assumption. Reports say the truck was hauling oil pipe at the time. It’s often the case that oil companies will need parts delivered to different parts of the state, and they’re subcontracting that work out to people who are under-qualified and who are cutting corners. Does this speak to some sort of inherent evil in the oil industry? No, it just speaks to the type of people who are getting these jobs.
To illustrate: let’s say that tomorrow, the price of pizza jumps up to five times what it is now. People love it. They can’t get enough of it. So now, they’re paying $60 per pizza. The demand for pizza has gone up so much, instead of hiring the ten best delivery guys, Bob’s Pretty Good Pizza is going to hire the hundred most available delivery guys. There’s so much money to be made in delivering pizzas, every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a valid license is coming out of the woodwork, and they’re all getting jobs, they’re driving too fast and they’re getting into accidents. It doesn’t neccesarily bad about the pizza industry, just the labor pool it’s being forced to hire from.
Substitute pizza for oil and you see where I’m going with this. Unfortunately, people being hired to deliver parts from one part of the state to another really leave a lot to be desired. Are we certain that an incompetent driver was the cause of this accident? Not necessarily. But the point still holds, and what I’ve described above is a very real problem the state is having to deal with right now.
— Grossman Law Offices
