Midland County, TX — September 23, 2025, Daniel Barrientez Jr. was killed in a truck accident at about 6:10 a.m. on State Highway 158 east of Midland.

Authorities said a 2012 Mack semi-truck was pulling out of a private driveway near F.M. 1379 when it was struck by a westbound 2015 GMC 3500. The pickup then was hit by a 2000 Freightliner semi-truck.

GMC driver Daniel Lee Barrientez Jr., 46, of San Angelo died at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

The truck drivers were not injured, authorities said.

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

Commentary

When people hear about a crash involving multiple large trucks and a fatality, they naturally want to know what went wrong, and whether it could have been prevented. In this case, we know that a pickup truck collided with a semi that was pulling out of a private driveway, and then that pickup was hit again by a second semi-truck. What we don’t know, and what matters most, is why.

There’s a lot we can’t assume from the limited information available. For example, we don’t yet know if the first semi was fully in the westbound lane when the pickup hit it, or if it was still crossing the highway. That distinction matters: if the truck was blocking the lane, the question becomes whether the driver had enough time and space to safely enter the road. If it was already moving with traffic, that raises different issues about visibility, speed and timing.

Another unanswered question is how far behind the second semi-truck was and why it wasn’t able to avoid the wrecked vehicles. Was it following too closely? Was the driver distracted or speeding? Without more information, it's hard to say what role that second impact played or whether it could’ve been avoided entirely.

I’ve seen plenty of crashes that looked straightforward on the surface but turned out to be far more complex once the evidence came in. Black box data from both trucks, dash cams, cell phone records and even driver histories can all help fill in the blanks. Was either driver on the phone? Did their companies perform proper safety checks and training before allowing them behind the wheel? These are the kinds of questions that need to be asked, and answered, before anyone can say with confidence who’s responsible.

It’s also worth pointing out that crashes like this often involve commercial drivers operating under pressure, whether that’s time pressure, long shifts or unclear safety protocols. That doesn’t excuse anything, but it does mean that trucking company policies can be just as important as individual decisions behind the wheel.

Getting to the truth requires more than just the initial police report. It takes a full investigation, one that doesn’t just stop at the crash scene, but looks at the systems, training and choices that put all three drivers on that stretch of highway at the same time.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s unclear whether the first semi-truck had fully merged onto the highway or was still blocking the lane at the time of the crash.
• The second truck’s inability to avoid the wreck raises questions about following distance, speed and driver attention.
• Black box data, dash cams and cell phone records are essential to determine what happened in the moments before and after the crash.
• Investigations should go beyond the drivers and look at company policies, training and hiring practices.
• Responsibility in multi-vehicle truck crashes is rarely simple. It requires careful examination of every link in the chain.