Waller County, TX — August 21, 2025, Juan Mendoza-Galvan was injured in a truck accident at about 1:45 p.m. in the 2600 block of Magnolia Road.

A preliminary accident report indicates that an eastbound 2023 International HV507 semi-truck was turning left onto Macedonia Road when it was hit by a westbound 2007 Dodge Ram 1500.

Dodge driver Juan Mendoza-Galvan, 37, was seriously injured in the crash near Hockley, according to the report.

The truck driver was not hurt, the report states.

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

Commentary

When people hear about a crash like this, where a pickup slams into a turning semi-truck, the first thing they want to know is, how did these vehicles end up in each other’s path? Unfortunately, the initial reports don’t tell us nearly enough to answer that question.

We’re told a semi-truck was turning left off Magnolia Road onto Macedonia Road when it was hit by an oncoming pickup. But that basic outline leaves a lot unsaid. Was the truck already in the turn when the pickup approached, or did it turn suddenly in front of the oncoming vehicle? Was the pickup speeding or distracted? Was there any obstruction to visibility, like roadside brush or parked vehicles?

These questions aren’t just technical details. They’re central to understanding who, if anyone, may be responsible for this crash.

Depending on whether the truck was already established in the turn or just beginning it, very different legal questions arise. If the pickup driver had a clear lane and the truck turned across it without warning, the burden likely shifts toward the truck driver. On the other hand, if the truck was already turning or had been turning for several seconds, investigators will want to know why the pickup didn’t stop or slow down.

It’s also unclear what investigative tools will be used to clarify those events. For example:

• Does the semi have dash cam footage? If so, that might show how long the turn took and whether any vehicles were clearly visible in the westbound lane.
• What about ECM data, the truck’s engine control module? It might reveal how fast the truck was moving, how hard the brakes were applied and when.
• Were either driver’s phones in use at the time of the crash? That’s something that can be confirmed through subpoenaed records, not guesswork.

I’ve worked on many cases involving turning trucks, and one thing that’s surprised a lot of people is how complex these crashes can be. Most folks assume that if you turn left and someone hits you, you’re automatically at fault. But that’s not always how the facts play out. Some turns take longer than others. Some intersections don’t provide enough space. And sometimes, the issue isn’t the turn itself but the visibility, timing or even poor route planning that put a truck in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In one case I handled, the crash happened at an oddly angled intersection that made it nearly impossible for truckers to see fast-approaching traffic from one side. The driver made the turn thinking it was clear, and the result was a devastating collision. We later found out the company had no protocols for assessing whether a route was safe for their equipment. That lack of oversight ended up playing a key role in the case.

Whether something like that is at play here remains to be seen, but the fact that authorities haven’t released more details yet means there’s a lot we still don’t know.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s not clear whether the semi-truck had already begun its turn or turned suddenly in front of the oncoming pickup.
• The presence (or absence) of dash cams, black box data and phone records will be critical to piecing together what happened.
• Different liability questions arise depending on how long the truck was turning and what the pickup driver could reasonably see or avoid.
• Even basic left-turn crashes can involve deeper issues like poor route planning or inadequate driver oversight.
• A thorough, evidence-based investigation is the only way to determine who should be held accountable, if anyone.