Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyer
Five people died tragically Saturday afternoon, and several others were injured when an 18-wheeler triggered a multi-vehicle pileup along Interstate 20 near Terrell, Texas.
According to media reports, the horrific chain-reaction crash appears to have been caused by a fatigued trucker.
18-Wheeler Driver Fell Asleep at the Wheel
The “mass casualty” incident occurred at approximately 2:40 p.m. in the westbound lanes of I-20, just east of Hiram Road in Kaufman County. Emergency crews arrived on the scene to find a 7-vehicle pile-up involving three 18-wheelers and four passenger vehicles.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, traffic on that stretch of highway was already backed up due to an earlier wreck. The driver of one of the 18-wheelers apparently fell asleep at the wheel before crashing into a Ford F-150 pickup truck carrying five occupants. The 18-wheeler then proceeded to collide with two other semi-trucks, one of which jackknifed and struck a Jeep Compass, a Ford Mustang and a Honda.
Four passengers in the F-150 pickup were pronounced dead at the scene, as was an occupant of the Jeep Compass. The driver of the F-150 was airlifted to a hospital in Dallas with critical injuries, and several others were treated for less serious injuries.
Trucker Charged with Manslaughter After I-20 18-Wheeler Crash
So far, authorities have not disclosed the identities of the crash victims.
The Elmo, Terrell, and College Mound Fire Departments were among the agencies responding to the wreck, along with personnel from the Texas Department of Transportation, DPS, Wills Point and the Kaufman County and Van Zandt County sheriff’s offices. Both the east and westbound lanes of the highly were closed for several hours so investigators and cleanup crews could access the crash scene. The roadway reopened overnight.
The investigation into the fatal I-20 18-wheeler accident is ongoing. However, authorities have since confirmed that the trucker allegedly responsible for the deadly crash has been arrested and is in custody in Kaufman County.
According to the Texas DPS, 27-year-old Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni faces five counts of manslaughter and one count of assault with a deadly weapon.
Up to 40% of Large Truck Crashes Result from Driver Fatigue
Unfortunately, fatigue-related truck and 18-wheeler crashes are anything but rare.
In fact, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, truck driver fatigue may cause or contribute to as many as 40% of the trucking-related crashes that occur on U.S. roads and highways every year.
Unlike drunk or distracted driving, fatigue can be harder to detect, but just as dangerous. Research suggests that a trucker who has been awake for 18 hours experiences impairments similar to someone driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, potentially leading to:
- Slowed reaction times: A sleep-deprived trucker may not react quickly enough to road hazards or sudden changes in traffic.
- Impaired decision-making: Fatigue can affect a driver’s cognitive functions, leading to poor decision-making.
- Reduced road awareness: Tired truck drivers may lose awareness of their surroundings and the actions of other vehicles.
- Microsleep episodes: Brief periods of unconsciousness can occur even with eyes open, causing a temporary loss of control.
- Compromised judgment: Fatigue can impair a truck driver’s judgment and lead to increased risk-taking behavior.
How Do Fatigued Truck Drivers Get Behind the Wheel?
There are many reasons why a truck driver might fall asleep behind the wheel.
Long hours, night driving, and unpredictable schedules wreak havoc on the body’s internal clock. Truckers are often on the road during circadian low points—usually between midnight and 6 a.m., and again in the early afternoon—when the body is naturally more prone to drowsiness. Even short naps during breaks may not be enough to offset cumulative fatigue, especially when drivers are under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
Undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea, are also a major contributor. It’s estimated that as many as one in four truck drivers suffer from sleep apnea, a medical condition that causes breathing to stop and start repeatedly during sleep, leading to poor rest and excessive daytime drowsiness.
Federal regulations limit the number of hours truckers can drive in a given day or week and require mandatory rest breaks. But those rules only work when trucking companies actually follow them—and too often, they don’t. Some carriers encourage or even pressure drivers to violate Hours-of-Service rules to meet delivery deadlines. Others fail to monitor logbooks or turn a blind eye to falsified driving records.
Catastrophic accidents have also occurred because trucking companies failed to screen their drivers for obstructive sleep apnea and other common sleep disorders
Undefeated Texas 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyers: 1-888-603-3636 for a Free Consult
Our Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers have won Billions for thousands of clients across Texas and throughout the United States, including record-breaking verdicts and settlements in connection with fatigue–related truck and 18-wheeler crashes:
- $35 million settlement in a fatal truck accident on I-35 near Dallas caused by a fatigued truck driver with untreated sleep apnea.
- $32 million settlement in a West Texas crash caused by an oilfield truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel.
- $23.5 million settlement in a fatal head-on collision involving a fatigued and distracted truck driver in Brazoria County, Texas.
If you or someone you love were injured or tragically killed as a result of Saturday’s I-20 18-wheeler crash or another fatigue-related truck accident, call us today at 1-888-603-3636 for a free consultation or send us a confidential email through our Contact Us page.
Our attorneys are ready to answer your questions, explain your rights, and provide you with the information you need to decide what’s best for you and your family.
All consultations are free, and you won’t pay a dime unless we win your case.