Canton, TX — There was a major pileup accident reported near Canton this past Monday afternoon (June 1, 2015) that killed one person and injured several others. The police recently released some of the names of the victims, saying that this whole wreck was started when a semi-truck failed to stop in time for slowed traffic, causing a chain-reaction wreck.
Deborah Phillips, 65, Peggy Wilson, 32, Augusta Phillips, 72, and a 13-year old girl in their Jeep Grand Cherokee were all injured and had to be taken to local hospitals after they were rear-ended by an 18-wheeler on I-20.
This happened at about 2:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon, just a few miles east of Canton.
From what we understand so far, it appears that a Ford Escape had slowed down in the eastbound lanes that afternoon when an 18-wheeler behind it failed to brake and rear-ended the smaller SUV, sending it into a Ford SEL sedan.
The Ford SEL then crashed into a KIA Soul, which hit a second 18-wheeler truck.
In another lane, however, was Deborah Phillips’ Jeep Grand Cherokee with her three passengers: Augusta Phillips, Peggy Wilson, and the 13-year old girl.
The 18-wheeler that first lost control swerved into Phillips lane after rear-ending the Ford and crashed into the back of their Jeep, seriously injuring Deborah Phillips and leaving the rest with less-serious injuries.
The KIA Soul’s driver, Shelley Jack, was injured as well in this wreck and hospitalized.
Update: The driver of the Ford Escape who was first hit in this accident was identified as David Brimage, 41, and he passed away from his injuries. His wife, Rachel, and two children in her car, were badly injured as well in the accident.
None of the semi-truck drivers were harmed by this accident. The Texas DPS is supposed to be investigating this, but it’s not clear if any charges are going to be filed.
Map of the Accident
Commentary:
I remember reading about this accident and am very surprised that two days have passed without any word or update from the DPS, telling whether the truck driver is going to face charges. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not eager to point the finger or jump to conclusions, but I’m just not sure if there’s a good excuse for rear-ending slower-moving traffic.
But, I want to point out that it’s not just the truck driver here who should be getting nervous about facing charges. The company that hired him is ultimately going to have to answer for his actions as well. If their truck malfunctioned, was poorly maintained, or if their driver wasn’t qualified to be behind the wheel, then this company might face some serious consequences. And rightly so, I think, because we can’t have professional drivers on the road putting other people’s lives in danger.
Now, trucking companies aren’t held responsible by the local police or even the Texas DPS. Those authorities might file a charge or two against them, but the real weight comes in the form of a negligence-based lawsuit against them, which is brought in civil court. Mind you, I don’t know enough about what happened here to be recommending one thing over the other, but I do know enough from past experience to give a general explanation.
The first step is always conducting an investigation that considers all the evidence and the next step is bringing in expert witnesses and other professionals to help decipher the evidence and determine whether or not the truck driver (or trucking company) acted negligently. But you can read more about litigation preparation elsewhere, my main point here is that this truck driver may not be the only person in the spotlight. If he was working for a larger company, they may also have to answer for what happened.
— Grossman Law Offices
