Hermleigh, TX — September 13, 2022, 62-year-old Carlos Villalobos was seriously injured in a crash with a commercial truck on U.S. Highway 84 in Scurry County.

Authorities say the incident happened around 6:40 a.m. along US-84 at Farm to Market Road 644. Preliminary investigation suggests a Hino truck was northbound on the highway as Villalobos drove a Dodge Ram van east on FM 644.

According to reports Villalobos drove across the highway's southbound lanes but failed to yield to the truck when entering the northbound lanes. The van and the truck collided in the roadway, then veered away northward in opposite directions.

Villalobos, allegedly not wearing a seat belt, was seriously injured in the crash. The truck driver received non-incapacitating injuries.

No further information is currently available.

Commentary on Carlos Villalobos Accident in Hermleigh

Police think the victim failed to yield while crossing the highway. Even if that's accurate, though, there's still the urgent question of why not. Instead of just assuming he just made a mistake, investigators should find out if there's more to the story.

For instance: Did the van have mechanical or brake problems? Did something block the victim's view of the truck? Was the yield sign present and clearly visible? What were weather and road conditions like? Is there a history of similar crashes in that area? Is the crossing designed poorly? How fast was the truck traveling? Was that driver awake, alert, and paying attention to the road?

I'm not trying to overcomplicate things or point fingers here. It's just that unusual but critical details are sometimes overlooked during a "by the book" preliminary investigation. For example, in a recent West Texas wreck someone was blamed for running a stop sign and fatally crashing with an 18-wheeler, which was the accepted story for weeks. Crash reconstructionists later found the intersection didn't even have signs at the time because road crews removed them during construction, then didn't replace them. The victim didn't know he had to stop, but until that fact was learned he was unfairly blamed.

I'm not saying that's what happened in Hermleigh, but many crashes aren't as simple as they appear and it's important not to let anything slip through the cracks. Were police efforts alone enough to keep that from happening?