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12News looks into truck driving safety following two major accidents involving commercial vehicles

According to a 2017 report by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Texas has the highest number of deadly large truck crashes.
Credit: kbmt

BEAUMONT, Texas — Two major accidents in two hours has 12News looking into safety involving commercial vehicles.

Clay Dugas with Clay Dugas and Associates is a personal injury attorney.

He has heard it all, from truckers not properly logging their hours to distracted driving and fatigue.

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Dugas said one of his most memorable case involved the death of a grandmother, her two grand children and another man.

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"There was a truck driving, coming through who was a trainer and he had a young man in the back and he had been on his cellphone...And the people on the end even had their flashers on and crashed into four of them and killed a grandmother, two children and burned a man to death and seriously injured another person," said Dugas.

According to a 2017 report by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Texas has the highest number of deadly large truck crashes.

In 2017, 621 fatal crashes were reported on Texas roads.

MORE| Crash reports from NHTSA

Dr. Miranda Phillips is the Dean of Strategic and Workforce Initiative at Lamar Institute of Technology.

L.I.T. has a truck driving academy.

MORE | Information on LIT truck driving academy

Phillips says instructors work hard to teach new truck drivers about safety.

She hopes a new law will help lower the number of accidents involving commercial vehicles.

"In February of 2020, they will have to go through an approved training provider that will very likely improve a lot of the safety issues we are currently seeing," said Phillips.

MORE| Information on new CDL license law

Dugas warns drivers to always be alert and cautious when driving.

"The blind spot on an 18-wheeler on the right side is about the size of a suburban.They call them 'no zones' all of these areas where cars can get lost. So the truck driver's job is a constant perimeter search," said Dugas.

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