Midland, TX — January 1, 2025, Robert Krauter Jr. was killed as the result of an 18-wheeler accident at around 7:00 a.m. along Highway 349.

According to initial details about the accident, it happened in the area of County Road 330, south of Midland-Odessa.

Investigators said that 58-year-old Robert Harold Krauter Jr. was in a Ford traveling southbound along the highway. In events still under investigation, the Ford crashed into the trailer of an 18-wheeler also reportedly going southbound. Due to the crash, Robert Krauter reportedly sustained fatal injuries.

No other injuries were reported.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

I've been in this line of work for over three decades now, and one misconception still persists all these years later. People still think that just because someone hits the rear of another vehicle, that means they're automatically to blame. That's just not how the law works. It's important to know the exact circumstances leading to the collision.

What were lighting and visibility like at the time? What conditions were the roads in? Did the victim's vehicle experience any issues with its brakes or tires? Did it have any kind of crash avoidance systems that failed to engage? Did airbags and seatbelts function properly? Is this a particularly dangerous intersection?

Likely or not, these are questions a proper accident reconstruction should include. As such, if authorities haven't started asking those questions, that may be a sign there are important possible factors not getting the attention they deserve.