Semi Truck Sliced in Half in Porter Texas Collision

August 2nd, 2011 |

PORTER, TX – Victor Jimenez, the driver of an 18 wheeler owned by Swift Transportation, crashed into another 18-wheeler while making a U-turn on Texas 242 Tuesday morning, July 26, slicing the other 18 wheeler truck in half.

The owner of an 18-wheeler picks up the pieces of his truck after his driver crashed into another 18-wheeler, slicing it in half after it made a U-turn on Texas Highway 242 near Hickory Rd on Tuesday, July 26, 2011. Photo Credit: Karl Anderson

The Department of Public Safety said they received a call around 11:15 a.m regarding the accident. The driver of one truck made a U-turn on Texas 242 from the eastbound lane and another driver, traveling west, crashed into the other truck, slinging two halves of the truck’s trailer across the highway and spilling out several boxes of McDonald’s Styrofoam cups.

Map showing location of 18-wheeler accident in Porter, TX on Texas Highway 242 near Hickory Rd where one 18-wheeler crashed into another after it made a U-turn on the highway on July 26, 2011.

The westbound driver was identified as 49-year-old Carl Johnson of Cleveland. Johnson was taken to Kingwood Medical Center with minor injuries, DPS officials said. No injuries were reported for the other driver, Victor Jimenez, 55, of El Paso.

Jimenez said, “The company gave me the wrong directions, so I had pulled over. … When I got the right directions, I decided to make a U-turn here. The other guy hit the middle of my trailer; I didn’t even see him coming.”

Johnson was driving a log truck from B&B Tire and Truck Services in Cleveland.

Your Kingman News reports:

Jimenez said the accident would be his first after driving trucks for 18 years. He was unsure about the total amount of damages to his truck, but the other truck’s owner, B&B Tire and Truck Services owner Brent Holifield, of Cleveland, said his truck was a total loss.

“The truck was worth $45,000, and there’s nothing left of value on it,” Holifield said. “The driver won’t be able to work for a while, so that’s lost time for our company, too, that will cost anywhere from $65,000 to $70,000.”

Holifield said Johnson suffered injuries to the lower part of his leg, as the engine came up through the cab of the truck when the crash occurred. Holifield said Johnson was released from the hospital sometime later in the afternoon, as he had no health insurance.

Jimenez was given a citation for making an unsafe U-turn, which is a Class C misdemeanor, DPS officials said.

The incident is under investigation at this time.

Truck Accident Lawyer News is a truck accident and personal injury blog that publishes up to date truck accident and truck legal news from across the United States. Texas, due to its high population and vast highway system, has a high incident of truck accidents and vehicle personal injuries. Texas metropolitan cities besides Porter with a high incident of truck accidents and vehicle collisions resulting in severe personal injuries and even death include, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Fort Worth, Frisco, Garland, Galveston and Houston to name a few.