A young woman died tragically last Thursday afternoon, when a passenger vehicle collided with a semi-truck near Stanton in Midland County, Texas.
Crash Occurred as Semi-Truck was Entering State Highway 137
The December 19th crash occurred around 1:00 p.m., as a 2006 International truck towing a dump-style trailer pulled onto State Highway 137 south from FM 307. A 2017 Dodge Pickup was apparently heading south on State Highway 137 at the same time and slammed into the trailer.
Both vehicles came to rest on the west side of the highway.
Granbury Woman Died at Scene, Pickup Driver Critically Injured
The passenger of the pickup, a 26-year old woman and mother of two young boys from Granbury, died at the accident scene.
The driver of the Dodge Pickup, a 30-year-old man also from Granbury, was rushed to the hospital with an incapacitating injury. As of Friday, he was listed in critical condition.
The semi-truck driver was not hurt.
Midland County Truck Accidents Up Sharply in Recent Years
At least 27 people have died on Midland County roads so far this year.
According to the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance (MOTRAN), commercial vehicle crashes in the largely rural Odessa District have risen nearly 160% over the past three years. The number of fatalities connected to trucking-related accidents and other commercial vehicle crashes also rose 122% during the same period.
In fact, Midland and three other Odessa District counties – Ector, Reeves, and Winkler – were among the 10 Texas counties to log the most fatal commercial vehicle accidents in 2018. Ector County, including the city of Odessa, took second place, with 21 deadly crashes. Midland County was third with 16 fatal accidents, while Reeves and Bexar County shared fifth place, with 13 each. Winkler County took 6th place, with 11.
Permian Basin Oil Boom Drives Rising Midland-Odessa Accident Rate
Midland and the other counties that make up the Odessa District sit in the heart of the Permian Basin, which has been in the midst of an unprecedented oil and natural gas boom since 2016. The drilling frenzy has caused truck traffic to increase considerably throughout the Midland-Odessa region, while the promise of six-figure wages has attracted thousands of new – and frequently inexperienced – truckers to the area.
Unfortunately, the roads and highways throughout the Odessa District are ill-equipped to handle the volume of 18-wheelers and heavy-duty oilfield trucks they’re seeing now. It also doesn’t help that many drillers push their drivers to work extremely long shifts with little time to rest and ignore crucial vehicle maintenance merely to keep their trucks in service.
Call 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here for a Free Consult with Our Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers
Our Undefeated Midland-Odessa Truck Accident Lawyers are investigating the latest fatal crash in Midland County and will post an update if new information becomes available.
In addition to being undefeated, we’ve won billions – including the Largest Truck Accident Verdicts and Settlements in Texas – for thousands of people injured or tragically killed in crashes involving 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, oilfield trucks and other commercial vehicles.
If you or a loved one were hurt in a Midland County truck accident, please call 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here to send us a confidential email via our “Contact Us” form.
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