Rusk County, TX — October 16, 2024, Steven Willett was killed and Felicia Willett and another person were injured in a truck accident at about 2 p.m. on State Highway 43.

A preliminary accident report indicates a 2023 Mack semi-truck was turning left onto the highway from County Road 2183 when it was hit an eastbound 2000 Chevrolet Suburban. The impact caused the truck to roll into its side on the north side of the road.

Suburban driver Steven Willett, 52, died in the crash west of Tatum, while passenger Felicia Willett, 46, suffered serious injuries, according to authorities. Felicia Willett and the truck driver, who suffered minor injuries, were hospitalized after the crash.

Investigators said the truck driver likely did not see the Suburban because a pickup hauling a travel trailer was slowing to turn right onto County Road 2183 before the crash, according to the report.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Rusk County crash.

Commentary

Crashes like this one highlight just how dangerous even a seemingly simple left turn can be when commercial trucks are involved. According to investigators, a semi-truck was attempting to turn left from a county road onto Highway 43 when it was struck by an eastbound Suburban. One person lost their life, and two others were hospitalized, including the truck driver. What stands out here is the reason given for the collision: the truck driver may not have seen the oncoming Suburban because a pickup with a travel trailer was blocking their view.

From a legal standpoint, that explanation is deeply concerning. The law is clear: a driver making a left turn onto a highway has a duty to yield to all oncoming traffic and must not proceed unless the path is clear. That duty doesn’t go away just because the view is partially blocked. In fact, if visibility is obstructed, a commercial driver is expected to wait, reposition or find another way to safely complete the maneuver. Simply guessing that the road is clear and pulling out anyway is not a legally defensible strategy, especially when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle that can weigh 40 tons and take up most of the roadway while turning.

That raises a second point: why did this driver proceed if they couldn’t see? Was there pressure to stay on schedule? Was the driver inexperienced or poorly trained on how to manage low-visibility turns? Did the trucking company fail to provide clear safety policies for situations like this? Those are the questions that turn a crash report into a legal case. And they’re rarely answered without a thorough investigation that includes dashcam footage, ECM data and company safety records.

It’s also important to look at whether the intersection itself played a role. County roads meeting state highways often lack the turning lanes, signage, or sightlines needed for large vehicles to enter safely. If this is a known trouble spot — especially if other crashes have occurred there in the past — there may be more than just individual fault to consider.

But ultimately, the responsibility here likely rests with the driver who made the turn. A commercial vehicle entering a high-speed highway needs to do so with absolute certainty that the path is clear. If the view was blocked and the truck driver moved forward anyway, that’s not just a misjudgment: it’s a violation of the basic safety rules that professional drivers are supposed to follow every time they get behind the wheel.

A man lost his life in this crash, and another person was seriously injured. That outcome demands more than an explanation: it demands accountability. And that begins with asking whether the people responsible for putting that truck on the road also did everything in their power to keep the public safe. From what’s been reported, that’s far from guaranteed.