Dimmit County, TX — September 14, 2024, a passenger was killed as the result of a semi-truck accident at around 10:00 p.m. along U.S. Highway 83.

Authorities said that the accident happened off the side of the highway north of Domingo Avenue in north Catarina.

According to officials, a 41-year-old man was a passenger in a Freightliner truck going northbound on the highway. Somehow, the truck lost control and ran off-road. There, it overturned through the ditch. The passenger sustained fatal injuries as a result.

It appears the truck driver was not hurt in the accident. No further information about the accident is available at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Any crash involving a commercial vehicle can involve unique challenges. The victim being a passenger only raises more potential hurdles.

For example, if the passenger was a friend, family member, or acquaintance who wasn't on the job at the time, this could all fall within the same legal maze that any typical truck accident would.

However, if the victim was a co-worker of the driver, this would likely fall withing the confines of Texas work fatality law, which happens to be the most complex work fatality law in the whole country. This is due to the fact that families are not always guaranteed a path to getting benefits after losing a loved one in a work accident.

Either way, it's important to consider how authorities were in their investigations here. I've handled hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases. It would surprise people how often authorities end up mishandling crucial evidence or simply moving on without actually conducting thorough investigations. Anytime it feels like that may be happening, it's important to consider having a second set of eyes look things over so nothing important slips through the cracks.