Alexis Gonzalez-Companioni may have fallen asleep behind the wheel of his tractor-trailer, which caused him to crash into stopped traffic and cause a chain reaction accident, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
González-Companioni was reportedly driving west on Interstate 20 until he arrived near the Hiram Road bridge, where traffic had already stopped due to an earlier collision, according to the investigators.
After observing a line of cars that began to stretch for miles on both sides of Interstate 20 while Akins was at a fireworks stand by the highway, he made the decision to investigate the reason for the backups.
Akins stated that the only thing that could be seen was a single 18-wheeler, for which half of the back end was missing. After that, there was yet another 18-wheeler, and the cab was completely disappearing.
There are five counts of manslaughter being brought against a truck driver in connection with the fatal accident that occurred on Interstate 20 in Kaufman County on Saturday.
Four of the five people who were inside the Ford F-150 were killed when Gonzalez-Companioni’s truck collided with it, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Despite being in critical condition, the fifth occupant was transported to the hospital via helicopter. On Monday, the Texas Department of Public Safety reported that the individual who had been injured in the Ford pickup had passed away.
Additionally, it resulted in the death of the driver of a Jeep Compass, which was part of a chain reaction crash that involved a total of seven trucks.
An announcement regarding the identities of the six individuals who perished in the collision is anticipated to be made by the investigators on Tuesday.
With one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Gonzalez-Companioni is being charged with six counts of manslaughter.
While investigators worked through the debris, traffic on Interstate 20 was completely stopped for several hours.
Akins stated that there were individuals who were walking because they had exhausted their gas supply. “What they could see was absolutely heartbreaking,” they said, expressing how terrible the situation was.
Heavy truck traffic is common in the area, according to some people who live and work there, and the accident concerned them.
It’s pretty unfortunate that truck drivers don’t know how to pull over when they’re getting tired or when they’re being pushed to their limits, as Akins put it. “There are a lot of truck drivers that go through here,” he said.
The first people to arrive at the scene of the accident were members of the Elmo Volunteer Fire Department. Because of their assistance, they expressed gratitude to the local fire and police departments.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the families and those affected by yesterday’s horrific accident,” according to the Elmo Police Department. The second thing I would like to do is express my gratitude to everyone who helped us out at the scene and covered additional calls from us. A significant amount of resources are required for something of this calibre.
Those who are preparing students for a Commercial Driver’s Licence at the H & H Xpress CDL training school in Lancaster put in a significant amount of time. CDL requirements are covered from top to bottom, including ordinances on hours of service and mandated rest, in addition to classroom instruction that emphasises hands-on experience when driving.
According to Seth Hargrove, who is the training manager at the school, “This is kind of supposed to be a sacred time for truck drivers is an off time.” I hope you don’t mess that up. It is imperative that you get a good night’s sleep because everyone else is dependent on it.
Lee Jackson, President of Traffic Crash Reconstruction, a company that specialises in fatal vehicle accidents involving 18-wheelers, was also informed of the news.
“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident,” continued the speaker. Jackson stated that truck drivers are prone to falling asleep on a regular basis.
Additionally, Jackson is a member of the Trucking Safety Coalition, which is an organisation that has advocated for legislation that would require companies to install automatic breaking devices on their commercial vehicles.
It is imperative that we ensure that the vehicle is capable of compensating for the weak link in the chain, as he stated, “If we are going to continue to put tired truckers on the road.” Obviously, the human element is the weak link in the chain.
