Kaufman County, TX — August 30, 2025, Gerald Jessup was injured as the result of an 18-wheeler accident at around 2:17 p.m. along FM 740.

Authorities said in their statements that the crash happened south of the I-20 and Malloy Bridge Road intersection.

Investigators said that 68-year-old Gerald Jessup was in a Ford F-150 going northeast along Malloy Bridge Road. A Volvo tractor-trailer was going the opposite direction. That truck was allegedly going at an unsafe speed when it crashed with the Ford F-150.

Due to the collision, Gerald Jessup was seriously injured. No other injuries were reported. At this time, additional details about the accident are unavailable.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a semi-truck is reportedly traveling at an unsafe speed and causes a crash that seriously injures another driver, it’s tempting to treat the problem as straightforward: the truck was going too fast, and someone got hurt. But crashes like this aren’t just about what went wrong—they’re about why it went wrong. And in the commercial trucking world, the “why” is often where the real accountability lies.

If a professional truck driver is barreling down a rural road at a speed that leads to a collision, we have to ask: what put them in that position? Were they behind schedule because of poor dispatch planning? Were they under pressure to deliver within an unrealistic time window? Was the company monitoring their speed and driving behavior, or were they left to operate unchecked? Did they have a history of reckless driving their employer ignored?

I’ve seen all of these factors play out in many of the hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases I've handled. Some companies load drivers up with back-to-back routes and minimal turnaround time. Others fail to enforce even basic safety oversight like speed monitoring or driver fatigue protocols. And when they don’t take those responsibilities seriously, it’s only a matter of time before one of their drivers causes an accident.

So while it's easy to say the driver was going too fast, that alone may not get to the root of the problem. A full investigation should look at logbooks, GPS data, dispatch communications, cellphone records, and the trucking company’s internal practices. Because if that unsafe speed was the result of deeper systemic issues, then holding only the driver responsible misses the bigger picture—and makes it more likely that this will happen again.

Key Takeaways

• Unsafe speed is a warning sign that may point to pressure, poor planning, or lack of oversight.
• Trucking companies are responsible for setting safe conditions and monitoring driver behavior.
• Surface-level mistakes must be followed up with deeper questions about why they occurred.
• A proper investigation should include driver logs, dispatch records, and company safety policies.
• Real accountability comes from understanding the system that allowed the crash to happen.