Van Zandt County, TX — October 10, 2025, Charles Zoeller Jr. was injured in a truck accident at about 10:50 a.m. on westbound Interstate 20 east of Canton.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2021 Peterbilt semi-truck crashed into a 2017 Peterbilt semi-truck near County Road 1308/Manhaden Drive. The collision caused a chain reaction that also damaged a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado, a 2019 Ford F-350 and a 2017 Ford F-150.

The driver of the Chevrolet pickup, 63-year-old Charles Zoeller Jr., was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report.

No other injuries were reported.

The driver of the 2021 Peterbilt was cited for speeding after the crash, the report states.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Van Zandt County crash at this time.

Commentary

When people hear that a truck driver got a speeding ticket after a crash, they might think the case is open and shut. But from my experience, a citation, while noteworthy, is only one small piece of the puzzle. If anything, it raises more questions than it answers. Why was the truck going too fast? Was it a momentary lapse in judgment, or was something bigger at play, like unrealistic delivery schedules or a failure of company oversight?

According to the report, this wreck began when a 2021 Peterbilt rear-ended another 18-wheeler. That impact then triggered a chain reaction that damaged three pickup trucks, seriously injuring the driver of one of them. That much is clear. What’s not clear is what caused the first truck to hit the one in front. Was traffic already slowing down? Was the driver distracted? Did he react too late, or not at all?

Depending on whether the rear truck was moving too fast for conditions or failed to maintain a safe following distance, different liability questions arise. But to get real answers, we’d need to dig deeper than the citation. That means pulling the truck’s engine control module (its "black box") to see how fast it was going and whether the brakes were ever applied. It means checking for dashcam footage, looking at the driver’s cell phone records and confirming whether the company that hired him had proper training and safety protocols in place.

In similar cases I’ve handled, companies often blame their drivers, but the evidence tells a different story. I once handled a case where the trucking company put an obviously unqualified driver behind the wheel. She'd been fired multiple times before they hired her, and their entire "driver evaluation" was a 20-minute road test. Not surprisingly, that crash wasn't just the driver's fault; it was the company's too.

The bottom line is this: When five vehicles end up damaged and one person seriously hurt, it’s not enough to point fingers at one driver and move on. A proper investigation should get to the bottom of how the crash started, why it wasn't avoided and who had the power to prevent it but didn’t.

Key Takeaways:

• A speeding citation alone doesn’t explain why the crash happened or who all may be responsible.
• Crucial evidence — like black box data, dashcam video and cell phone records — can reveal whether the driver was distracted or failed to brake in time.
• It’s not yet known if the trucking company had adequate safety policies or properly vetted the driver.
• Rear-end crashes involving 18-wheelers often come down to whether the truck was following too closely or not reacting fast enough.
• The real cause and full accountability can only be determined through a detailed, independent investigation.