The Texas Department of Public Safety reportedly arrested a woman whose driver’s license was invalid after she allegedly caused the death of a big rig driver who was attending to mechanical problems on his truck. According to their report on this fatal accident, the 18-wheeler was parked on the shoulder of state Highway 6, not far from Navasota. The operator apparently exited the truck to investigate a mechanical problem.
A sedan operated by a 28-year-old woman reportedly veered onto the road shoulder. When she saw the big rig, she swerved to avoid smashing into it. However, her vehicle apparently clipped the truck, then continued along the side. It struck the trucker who was standing near the front wheel of the rig.
The truck driver was already dead by the time emergency personnel arrived shortly after the crash. The sedan operator was reportedly treated for minor injuries at a hospital. After she was released from the hospital, she was arrested and charged for failure to have a valid drivers license at the time of the accident. It as yet unclear whether she will face additional charges.
The surviving family members of the big rig driver who lost his life in this fatal accident may pursue claims for financial relief for documented end-of-life expenses and other monetary losses by filing a wrongful death lawsuit in a Texas civil court. The woman whose car struck and killed the man, as well as any registered owner of the vehicle she was operating may be named as a defendant. The family may also pursue a death benefits claim through the workers’ compensation insurance system.
Source: navasotaexaminer.com, “Driver arrested in fatal crash on state Highway 6”, Nicole Wilcox, Jan. 6, 2016
