Loving, NM — A collision between a tanker truck and a flatbed trailer left one man dead and another in the hospital on Sunday, October 19, 2014. The accident took place on State Route 129, near Loving, New Mexico.
Reports say that Stephen Houghtaling was driving a truck pulling a flatbed and crossed the road’s center line, where he crashed into Isidrio Hernandez, who was driving a tanker truck in the opposite direction.
Houghtaling was killed in the crash. Isidrio suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas. Police are still trying to piece together what caused the accident to occur. Police say that alcohol did not play a role in the crash.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
There are two things I’m thinking about here. The first is that the victim was on the clock when this accident happened. Because he was on the job, that means he’s going to be eligible for workers’ comp benefits. What is workers comp? Well, it’s a benefits system that provides employees and their families coverage following an on-the-job accident. The problem is, the coverage workers’ comp affords is never very good. So it’s a good bet that the victim is still going to be left with quite a few expenses. That brings me to my second point. Even though the victim was on the clock when the accident occurred, he still has all the same rights as any other driver on the road. That means he’s going to be able to file a liability claim against the other driver, which will hopefully help him get the rest of the coverage he needs to make sure he makes a full recovery.
— Grossman Law Offices
