Texarkana, TX — There was a serious accident reported off I-30 on the Texas side of town this past Tuesday, April 7, 2015 that involved a motorcycle and a semi-truck. Police said that a 55-year old man on a white motorcycle was injured and had to be taken to a hospital after he collided with a semi-truck that made a turn in front of him.
This was at about 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, on the access road for I-30 (Mall Drive). The motorcyclist was headed west on Mall Road and a semi-truck for Keypoint Carriers was driving in front of him. As they neared Cavender’s Boot City, the semi-truck tried to make a right-hand turn off Mall Road and the motorcycle crashed into the back of the trailer.
The news didn’t give a lot of details and neither did the police, but they said that the semi-truck “pulled in front of the motorcycle” while it was attempting the turn.
The 55-year old rider was taken to a hospital just up the road, but it’s not clear how bad his injuries were. The truck driver for Keypoint Carriers hasn’t been identified yet and there’s no word on whether he’ll face charges.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
The trucking company here is based out of Canada and it looks like they drive across the entire continent, but that doesn’t mean that Texas laws don’t apply. The accident photos seem to indicate the motorcycle hit the back of the semi-truck as it was turning off the access road. That can mean that the motorcycle was going too fast and hit the back of the truck when it slowed down to turn. On other hand, what if this semi-truck made a wide turn and took up the motorcyclist’s lane when it turned? Would the rider have even had a chance to brake or move lanes?
If the semi-truck made an improper turn, then that’s negligence and the driver (and company) should be held accountable. Just as an aside, I did a little checking into this company with the Department of Transportation. As it stands, the company has actually had more than a few violations regarding their drivers’ Hours of Servicem, vehicle maintenance, and unsafe driving. Now, by itself, this information doesn’t mean much, but when you put it in the context of this accident, it makes you wonder how safe this driver was being that day. Again, perhaps this accident was the motorcycle’s fault, but there are clearly more questions than answers at this point and I think there should be a solid investigation done.
I’d also like to point out that it seems like I hear about more and more accidents involving 18-wheelers in the Texarkana area each month. There’s a lot of construction going on along I-30 and in other areas of town, and I can personally attest to how narrow the roadways can get out there. One wrong move and it feels like you might be crushed by a giant 18-wheeler next to you. We’ve handled several accident cases out of Texarkana (on both sides) and that’s always been a major factor in our investigations.
— Grossman Law Offices
