Truck Accidents on the Rise

Ford and Laurel Attorneys at Law,
San Antonio 6/18/14

Truck Accident Attorneys San Antonio

For the past five years the driving and road conditions in the Eagle Ford Shale region of south Texas has been deteriorating under the impact of the booming oil industry. Although the revenue from this boom has brought growth to the region, the cost of success has caused concern for local officials who hadn’t realized just how much their roads and traffic would be impacted.

With small roads bearing the weight of heavy traffic, deterioration has been inevitable. Pot-holes and crumbling road shoulders add to the increase in danger. In 2012, Casey Goetz, a major with the Department of Public Safety’s highway patrol, said that in Karnes, La Salle, and Dimmit counties, the number of crashes involving commercial trucks rose by 1,000 percent.

Locals report seeing passenger vehicles run off the roads by commercial trucks, and one witness said she watched a commercial truck pass a stopped school bus. Many remember quieter times when fatal crashes only happened once a year. Now it seems like they’re a weekly occurrence. In 2013, there were 3,430 crashes in the Eagle Ford Shale region that resulted in serious injuries or fatalities — a 26 percent jump from 2012.

The most frequently cited causes for McMullen County accidents were truck drivers ignoring signs in construction zones and defective headlights, according to the TxDOT data. To make matters worse, when Truck Accidents happen in these rural counties it takes first responders longer to arrive on the scene. The distances are greater and the amount of emergency staff is lower than in larger cities.

Officials are trying to figure out who’s going to internalize the cost of repairs and have made plans to allow the voters to decide if revenue from oil and gas industry should be taxed. If so, this would enable the counties to pump the billion dollars needed for road repairs and construction back into the communities.

In the mean time, the TxDOT continues to teach citizens through its Be Safe Drive Smart campaign. Drivers are urged to take the following basic safety precautions: buckle up; drive a safe speed; pass carefully; always stop at red lights and stop signs; and avoid using cell phones while driving.
If you have been victimized in Truck Accidents Call us at Ford and Laurel, your Truck Accident Attorneys in San Antonio and the surrounding areas.
210-820-3434