Six 18 wheelers collide in deadly Texas wreck

A fiery explosion from a fatal accident involving six trucks and a car in East Texas that killed two on Sept.29, 2008 puts the spotlight back on the need for truck safety in Texas. The near-midnight collision closed Interstate 20 eastbound for hours. A video clip on CNN shows flames engulfing the wreckage. Jim Adler & Associates has created a new web site, www.18wheeleraccident.org, to keep the public informed about their legal rights in truck accidents and the need for new laws. It includes a stunning video about the son of a Texas man who was killed in one of the most horrific truck accidents in recent years. The two people who died in the East Texas accident were in a car. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says drivers and passengers in cars account for 78 percent of the fatalities in accidents involving cars and large trucks.

An investigative story in the Dallas Morning News on truck safety in Texas reports that “truck drivers were at fault in at least 44 percent of all accidents between cars and big trucks.” The paper spent seven months researching its series. With more miles of roads and the second highest number of registered trucks, Texas has one of the highest rates of fatal truck accidents in the United States. The need for tougher truck laws extends beyond Texas, however. The national death toll in truck related accidents “is the equivalent of 26 major airplane crashes every year…” according to the Truck Safety Coalition, a national non-profit organization devoted to reducing fatal truck accidents.