Trinity County, TX — August 12, 2025, Trisha Vycital was injured in a truck accident at about 11:35 a.m. on State Highway 19 north of Riverside.

A preliminary accident report indicates a 2010 Freightliner Columbia semi-truck failed to yield as it turned onto S.H. 19 from Doug Bell Road, hitting a southbound 2000 Ford E Series van.

Van driver Trisha Vycital, 39, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report.

The truck driver, who was not hurt, was cited for disregarding a traffic control device, the report states.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a commercial truck turns across a highway and collides with a vehicle that had the right of way, most folks reasonably want to know: how does something like that happen? A citation for disregarding a traffic control device is a start, but it doesn’t tell us much. Was the driver distracted? Did she misjudge the speed of oncoming traffic? Did she even stop before pulling out? These are critical questions, and none of them are answered by simply noting that a ticket was issued.

In my experience, crashes involving trucks that fail to yield at intersections almost always come down to a preventable lapse; either on the driver’s part, or in the systems meant to guide and monitor them. Depending on whether this Freightliner was equipped with an engine control module (ECM), dash cam or in-cab monitoring, there may be hard data that shows exactly how and why the truck entered the roadway when it did. That kind of evidence can tell us if the driver accelerated too slowly, misread traffic signals or simply didn’t look.

But even that only scratches the surface. What about the trucking company that put this driver on the road? What kind of training did they provide? What was their vetting process like? I’ve handled cases where companies hired drivers with long records of traffic violations or provided little more than a 15-minute ride-along before handing over the keys. When things go wrong, it’s not always just the person behind the wheel who needs to answer for it.

The report says the driver was cited, but a citation isn’t the same as accountability. Tickets are handed out based on what officers observe or hear at the scene. Full accountability requires an independent investigation, one that collects black box data, driver history, company records and anything else that can reveal how this crash really came about.

Key Takeaways:

• A citation alone doesn’t explain how or why the truck pulled into the van’s path.
• Critical evidence like ECM data, dash cams or phone records may clarify whether driver error, distraction, or poor judgment played a role.
• The trucking company’s hiring and training practices are also relevant and should be scrutinized.
• Independent investigations are key to uncovering the full chain of responsibility, not just who was cited at the scene.