Truck drivers have an enormous responsibility to drive safely and to make sure that they do not endanger the public. This means not just making smart driving choices and obeying all rules of the road but also ensuring that their load is properly balanced so they do not put themselves and others at risk of a rollover accident. Our Houston tractor trailer accident lawyers know that having a balanced load is one of the most important things that a trucker can do in order to protect himself and others. 
Unfortunately, KWTX reports that one South Texas truck driver was killed in an accident when he pulled over to the side of the road to check on his load. As the driver was outside of his truck, the driver of a semi-trailer hit and killed him.
Mistakes Lead to Truck Accident Tragedies
The recent death of the South Texas truck driver shows just how tragic the outcome can be. If the first driver had a properly balanced load before he started his trip and if he checked his load routinely at safe stopping points, then the driver may not have been forced to get out on the shoulder of the road. The driver would thus not have been in a position to be hit by the other truck and killed.
If the second driver had been paying careful attention to the road and had seen the other truck pulled off to the road shoulder, then the accident could also potentially have been prevented. Drivers of all vehicles should move over when they see a vehicle pulled off the road in order to prevent causing a tragic accident that results in the loss of life.
Finally, perhaps if the shoulder of the road had been wider and there had been more room for the truck driver to pull off and check his load, then the accident may also have been avoidable.
While the specific cause of the crash is still under investigation, all three of these factors may have played a role in the loss of life. With large trucks, many things can go wrong and every commercial driver must go the extra mile to ensure that accidents don't happen. In this accident, someone - or multiple people- fell short of this obligation and one driver paid the ultimate price.
Determining who was to blame for the accident will be important because the surviving family members of the driver who was killed may be able to take legal action for wrongful death. A claim could be pursued against the other driver who caused the crash and against his employer through a workers' compensation claim for death benefits. The owner of the tractor or load may also bear responsibility. Since the deceased driver was delivering a load at the time, it is also possible that other contractors may be responsible for a work-injury claim.
While the family members of the trucker who was killed thus have multiple possible options for taking legal action, this will likely provide little comfort for the grief felt over the loss of a loved one in a crash that could have been prevented.
If you have been injured in a Houston truck accident, contact Hagood & Neumann at (800) 632-9404. Offices in Houston and Galveston.