Lytle, TX — May 16, 2025, One person was injured following an 18-wheeler accident that occurred at around 2:00 A.M. on I-35.

One person was hospitalized after an 18-wheeler accident and fire occurred during the early-morning hours of May 16th. According to official reports, a tractor-trailer hauling coal was traveling in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 near mile-marker 131, when for unknown reasons the truck suffered a tire blowout causing the truck to lose control and flip over the highway.

When first responders arrived on the scene they found that the semi had caught fire with the driver trapped inside, and after extrication found they had sustained injuries. The driver was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries, and at this time there has been no further updates released from the collision, including the identity of the driver. However this remains an ongoing investigation and more details may be released by authorities in the future.

Commentary

Tire Blowouts Are Rarely Just "Accidents"

When I hear that a truck suffered a tire blowout and then caught fire, my first thought isn't, “Well, these things happen.” It’s, “Why did the tire blow out in the first place?” That’s the question investigators need to be asking if they’re serious about getting to the bottom of this crash.

I’ve been litigating truck accident cases for over 30 years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that a tire blowout almost never just “happens.” It’s often a sign that someone somewhere dropped the ball. Maybe the tire was old or worn. Maybe it was improperly installed. Maybe it wasn’t rated for the load it was carrying. It could also be that the driver didn’t conduct a proper pre-trip inspection—or that they were never properly trained to do so in the first place.

On top of that, whenever a crash involves a fire, especially one severe enough to trap someone inside a burning vehicle, the question becomes even more serious: What caused the fire? Was it the force of the rollover alone, or did some defect in the truck's design or maintenance make the fire more likely? Those aren’t just technicalities—they’re crucial details in determining who is legally responsible.

Unfortunately, most official investigations don’t go far enough. If the tire was defective, someone needs to examine it in a lab. If the fire was preventable, experts need to inspect the vehicle’s fuel system and electrical components. But those kinds of investigations take time, money, and technical expertise that local agencies often don’t have.

That’s why I always tell people: if all you're relying on is what investigators find at the crash scene, you're probably only getting half the story. For cases like this, meaningful accountability can only come after digging deep into the truck’s maintenance records, the tire’s origin and service history, and any prior incidents involving the truck or company.

The bottom line is this: a tire doesn’t just fail out of nowhere, and fires don’t start for no reason. If someone failed to do their job—whether it was the driver, the trucking company, a mechanic, or a parts manufacturer—then they need to answer for what happened here.