Houston, TX — November 11, 2025, Carlos Nolasquez was killed in a truck accident at about 10 a.m. on Beaumont Highway/U.S. Route 90 Business.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2009 Toyota Sienna was heading north out of a private driveway when it was hit by an eastbound 2004 Kenworth semi-truck, which overturned after the crash.

Toyota driver Carlos Nolasquez, 55, died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to the report.

The truck driver suffered minor injuries, the report states.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a crash like this makes the news, most people immediately wonder: How did that happen? Who had the right of way? Was there anything that could have been done to prevent it?

Those are exactly the right questions to ask, but the initial reports don’t yet provide clear answers. What we know is that the Toyota Sienna was coming out of a private driveway and was struck by an eastbound semi-truck on Beaumont Highway. What we don’t know is whether the Sienna pulled into the truck’s path, whether the truck driver was speeding or distracted or whether something else entirely went wrong.

To get to the bottom of it, investigators will need to go far beyond the surface details. For example:

• Was the truck’s dash cam running? Many commercial trucks now use inward- and outward-facing cameras. Footage from those systems can often show whether the truck driver had a clear view of the driveway or whether something blocked it.
• Did the truck’s black box (ECM) record a sudden brake or swerve? That kind of data can help establish whether the truck driver reacted to an unexpected hazard, or failed to react at all.
• Was the driver distracted? It’s not enough to ask the driver if he was on his phone. Investigators need to pull cell phone records to see whether any calls, texts or app usage occurred around the time of the crash.
• Was visibility a factor? Depending on the angle of the driveway, sun glare or overgrown vegetation, it’s possible that neither driver saw the other until it was too late. That’s not an excuse. It just points to the need for evidence.

In my experience, even crashes that appear straightforward often turn out to be more complicated once you start looking at hiring records, driver history and company safety practices. One case I handled involved a driver who had been fired from multiple previous trucking jobs but was still put behind the wheel with almost no vetting. Once we pulled back the curtain, it was clear the company’s poor decision-making played a larger role than anything the driver did on the day of the crash.

Right now, we don’t have enough information to say who’s responsible for this crash. But that’s exactly why a full investigation is so important. Lives were altered forever, and the only way to make sense of that is by following the facts wherever they lead.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s unclear whether the minivan pulled into the truck’s path or whether the truck driver could have avoided the collision.
• Evidence like dash cam footage, black box data and cell phone records will be critical in determining fault.
• Visibility, driver reaction time and potential distractions are all important factors that need investigation.
• A trucking company’s hiring and training practices may be just as relevant as the driver’s conduct at the scene.
• Full accountability requires a thorough, evidence-driven investigation, not assumptions.