YORKTOWN, TX — Joshua Waite was killed in an accident with a tractor-trailer in Yorktown, Texas on Saturday, November 15th, 2014. The article released by The Victoria Advocate said that the accident happened around 2:30 Saturday morning.
24-year-old Joshua Waite was killed when the vehicle he was driving and a tractor-trailer collided in the 100 block of Highway 72. The investigators said that the vehicle was driving westbound in the eastbound lanes when he collided head-on with the tractor-trailer.
Waite was pronounced dead on the scene by a local justice of the peace. The driver of the tractor-trailer was immediately unhurt in the accident.
The Texas Highway Patrol is helping Yorktown Police with the accident investigation at this time.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
With an accident like this, there are quite a few angles to examine. First of all, whenever I see an accident take place at, or shortly after bars’ last-call closing time of 2:00a.m., I firmly believe that alcohol needs to be ruled out be being investigated. While it is perfectly plausible that the driver of the vehicle fell asleep at the late hour, it is also possible that alcohol played a role. If this driver was trying to make it home from a bar, then looking at credit cart statements or security footage from the establishment could tell us if the bar failed in their legal responsibility to cut somebody off, then the bar could bear the some or all of the blame, depending on how the facts line up. Believe it or not, bars do not exist to get people drunk, they exist to serve alcohol in a controlled, safe manner, and it is illegal to venture outside of those parameters.
On the other hand, I’d be looking at tire marks on the road and other evidence at the scene to find out if the trucker’s account of this accident was accurate. I’m not calling him a liar by any means, but this would not be the first time I’ve seen the lone-survivor of a tractor-trailer accident fudge the facts to keep their job. A close inspection of claims could refute, or substantiate what the trucker’s story says, and this is all part of responsible, fair investigation; finding the facts before we wrongfully blame a victim.
— Grossman Law Offices
