The Sand Hauler Drove Away. Your Family Is Left With Everything That Remains.
If you are reading this, someone you love is gone. A truck that was on State Highway 329 in Crane County on the night of January 6, 2026 — a sand hauler, the kind that moves frac sand across the Permian Basin by the ton — was involved in the crash that killed them, and then it left. The Texas Department of Public Safety is still looking for it. And while they search, every hour that passes is an hour the evidence is fading.
We are Attorney911 — The Manginello Law Firm. We are writing this for you, the person at the kitchen table at 2 a.m. who just learned that a 42-year-old from Imperial died on a dark stretch of SH 329 near mile marker 250, that the Kia came to rest in the roadway and caught fire, and that the truck with the trailer drove away and has not been found. We are writing this because what happens in the next few days will decide whether the truth is ever recovered — and we know, from decades of doing this work, that nobody is preserving that truth for you right now. The police are doing their best in a small county with limited resources. The trucking company, whoever it is, may already be repairing the damage. And your own insurance company is preparing a phone call.
Here is what we want you to understand before anything else: the DPS preliminary report says the Kia “failed to control speed.” Those three words are going to follow this case. They are going to show up in the insurance adjuster’s file. They are going to be the first thing the defense points to. But those words are an investigator’s first-pass observation written in the hours after a crash on a dark rural highway — they are not a court’s finding, and they are not the end of the story. The real question is why a 42-year-old driver could not see a commercial trailer in his lane on a road with no lights, at 10:20 at night, in January. That question leads somewhere, and we are going to tell you exactly where.
What Happened on SH 329 in Crane County
On the night of January 6, 2026, at approximately 10:20 p.m., a truck tractor with a trailer — believed to be a sand hauler — was traveling eastbound on State Highway 329 near mile marker 250 in Crane County, Texas. A 2023 Kia Soul was traveling behind it, also eastbound. The Kia struck the rear of the sand hauler’s trailer. The Kia came to rest in the roadway and caught fire. The driver of the Kia — a 42-year-old from Imperial, Texas — was pronounced dead at the scene. The sand hauler truck and trailer then left the scene and have not been identified.
DPS has released two forensic markers for the public: the truck is believed to have rear-end damage and possible blue paint transfer on the trailer — the blue paint being from the Kia Soul that struck it. The Crane County Sheriff’s Office and DPS are actively seeking information.
This is what the public record tells us. Now here is what it does not tell you — and what matters most.
The Permian Basin Sand Hauler: A Known Killer on Roads Built for Half This Traffic
State Highway 329 runs through the rural Permian Basin of West Texas, connecting communities in Crane and Pecos Counties, including Imperial, where the victim lived. This is oilfield country. The regional drilling boom has flooded highways like SH 329 with commercial truck traffic that these roads were never engineered to carry — particularly sand haulers transporting frac sand from regional mines to hydraulic fracturing well sites throughout the basin.
Sand haulers are a specific breed of oilfield truck. They typically run as belly-dump or end-dump configurations, hauling tons of frac sand to well sites that operate around the clock. The truck’s presence on SH 329 at 10:20 p.m. strongly suggests nighttime oilfield logistics operations — which are common in the Permian Basin but carry specific, well-documented hazards. FMCSA enforcement actions across the region have repeatedly flagged sand hauling operations for maintenance deficiencies, driver fatigue from extended shifts, and Hours of Service violations. These are not isolated concerns. They are patterns.
If you or someone you know has been hurt in a similar oilfield trucking crash, our Permian Basin oilfield truck accident resource covers the specific carriers, corridors, and regulatory failures that make these crashes predictable.
Here is the critical fact about SH 329 at 10:20 p.m. in January: this stretch of road is completely dark. There is minimal to no ambient lighting on rural Permian Basin highways. The sun set hours earlier. A driver traveling eastbound is looking down a road with his own headlights and nothing else. And the question that will determine this case — the question DPS’s preliminary “failed to control speed” language does not answer — is what that driver could actually see in the seconds before impact.
The Trailer Conspicuity Theory: Why “Failed to Control Speed” May Not Be the Whole Story
Federal regulations require commercial trailers to be equipped with retroreflective sheeting and functioning taillights, clearance lights, and turn signals. These are not optional. They are mandated under FMCSA regulations because the federal government recognized, decades ago, that a dark trailer on a dark road is a deadly hazard — and that the solution is to make the trailer visible to approaching drivers from a distance that gives them time to react.
When a passenger vehicle strikes the rear of a commercial trailer at night on an unlit rural highway, the first question a qualified accident reconstructionist asks is not “how fast was the car going” but “at what distance could the driver first perceive the trailer as a hazard?” That distance — the perception distance — is determined by the trailer’s lighting and reflective marking condition. If the trailer’s taillights were out, if the reflective tape was missing, dirty, or degraded, if the clearance lights were non-functional, then the approaching driver may have had only seconds — or less — between the moment the trailer became visible and the moment of impact.
Here is the physics. A vehicle traveling at 65 mph covers approximately 95 feet per second. If a trailer is only visible from 200 feet because its lights are out and its reflective tape is gone, the driver has roughly two seconds to see, process, brake, and stop. A passenger car at 65 mph on dry pavement needs approximately 300 to 400 feet to stop after the driver perceives the hazard and reacts. The math does not work. The driver could not stop in time not because he was speeding, but because the trailer was not visible soon enough.
This is the trailer conspicuity theory of liability, and it is the theory that can overcome the DPS “failed to control speed” finding. It shifts causation from the Kia driver’s speed to the commercial vehicle’s non-compliance with federal lighting and marking standards. And it is supported by a specific, powerful fact: the sand hauler driver fled the scene.
Why would a commercial driver flee a fatal accident? One reason could be an outstanding warrant, a suspended license, or intoxication. But another reason — one that a jury would understand immediately — is that the driver knew the trailer was non-compliant. He knew the lights were out. He knew the reflective tape was gone. He knew that the reason the Kia hit him was that the trailer was invisible in the dark. And he drove away because he understood that an inspection of the trailer would reveal the violation that caused the death.
The driver’s flight is not just a criminal act. Under Texas law, it is evidence of consciousness of guilt — and in a civil case, a jury can be told that the person who caused the harm ran from it. That fact alone can transform a “rear-end collision” into something a jury sees very differently.
The Evidence Clock: What Is Disappearing Right Now
This is the section we need you to read most carefully, because the evidence in this case is dying on a schedule that does not wait for grief.
The Kia Soul’s Event Data Recorder (EDR). The 2023 Kia Soul is almost certainly equipped with an EDR — a crash-data recorder that captures pre-impact speed, brake application, throttle position, steering input, and timing in the seconds before a collision. This data is the single most important piece of evidence for countering the DPS “failed to control speed” finding, because it can establish the perception-reaction window: how much time the driver actually had between seeing the trailer and hitting it. The vehicle is currently in law enforcement impound. The EDR data is stable — but the vehicle can be released, sold, or destroyed if no one intervenes to preserve it. The EDR must be imaged by a qualified expert with the right forensic tools before the vehicle is touched.
The sand hauler truck and trailer. This is the most urgent preservation target. The truck has rear-end damage and blue paint transfer on the trailer — those are the two forensic markers DPS has circulated. But rear-end damage can be repaired, and blue paint can be painted over, in a matter of days. A commercial carrier that learns it has been identified — or that fears identification — can have the damage fixed and the paint transfer covered before anyone files a lawsuit. The moment the carrier is identified, a spoliation letter must go out immediately, demanding preservation of the truck, the trailer, the lighting system, the reflective tape, the ELD data, the driver qualification file, and every maintenance record.
Scene evidence. SH 329 is an active roadway. Skid marks, gouge marks, debris fields, and paint fragments on the pavement are degrading with every vehicle that passes and every day of weather. An accident reconstructionist needs this physical evidence to determine speed, angle of impact, and whether the trailer was stopped in the roadway or moving. This evidence is already days old and deteriorating.
Electronic logging data. If the carrier is identified, the truck’s Electronic Logging Device (ELD) data — which records the driver’s Hours of Service, route history, speed, and duty status — is governed by a federal retention rule that only requires the carrier to keep it for eight days for the in-cab copy, and the carrier’s own retention of records of duty status is mandated for six months. The broader telematics data — GPS pings, speed data, hard-brake events — may be on a vendor’s server with its own retention window. Every day that passes without a preservation demand is a day closer to legal destruction.
Area surveillance. Oilfield sites, traffic cameras, and business cameras near SH 329 may have captured the truck’s identity, license plate, or company markings — and potentially the collision itself and the truck’s departure from the scene. Most commercial and private surveillance systems overwrite on a 7-to-30-day cycle. We are now well past the first week. Every camera that has not been canvassed may already be gone.
Cell tower data. Cell tower records for the SH 329 corridor at 10:20 p.m. on January 6 can identify phones in the area at that specific time, potentially narrowing the pool of sand hauler drivers and companies operating that route. Carrier retention policies vary, and a preservation letter or court order should be sought within weeks — not months.
Here is what this means in plain terms: the proof that could identify the truck, prove the trailer was non-compliant, and establish that the Kia driver was not simply speeding — that proof is eroding right now. The preservation letter goes out the day you call. Not the week after the funeral. Not after the insurance company makes its first offer. That day.
Texas Hit-and-Run Law: The Driver’s Flight Is the Case
Texas law imposes a statutory duty on every driver involved in an accident to stop, render aid, and exchange information. When a fatality occurs and the driver flees, the criminal penalties are severe — but for the family, the civil significance is equally powerful.
The driver’s flight from a fatal accident scene is admissible as evidence of consciousness of guilt in a civil proceeding. A jury can be told: the person who was there drove away. They did not stop to check. They did not call for help. They did not render aid. They left a person to die on a dark highway and drove into the night. That fact reshapes every argument the defense tries to make. The defense wants the jury to see a simple rear-end collision where the following driver was at fault. The flight reframes it: if the sand hauler driver did nothing wrong, why did he run?
This is not a rhetorical question. It is a legal argument with teeth. And it is one of the reasons this case — if the carrier is identified — can support a claim for punitive damages, which are damages meant to punish and deter conduct that goes beyond ordinary negligence. Fleeing the scene of a fatal accident is conduct that goes beyond ordinary negligence. A jury that hears it will be angry, and rightly so.
The Comparative Fault Battle: Why DPS’s Words Are Not the Final Verdict
Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule with a 51% bar. This means that a plaintiff can recover damages as long as they are not more than 50% at fault. If the plaintiff is 50% or less at fault, their recovery is reduced by their percentage of fault. If they are 51% or more at fault, they recover nothing.
This rule is the single most important number in this case, and the DPS “failed to control speed” finding is the defense’s primary weapon for pushing the Kia driver’s fault above 50%. If the defense can convince a jury that the Kia driver was solely or primarily at fault for the rear-end collision — because he was following too closely, or speeding, or not paying attention — then the family’s recovery is reduced or eliminated.
But the comparative fault battle is not a one-sided fight. The trailer conspicuity theory — that the trailer was not visible because its lights and reflective markings were non-compliant — directly attacks causation. If the jury finds that the trailer was non-compliant and that non-compliance caused or contributed to the collision, the fault shifts. And the driver’s flight from the scene is powerful evidence that the sand hauler driver knew the trailer was the problem — not the Kia.
Texas does not impose statutory damage caps on wrongful death claims against private defendants. There is no artificial ceiling on what a jury can award. This preserves full recovery potential once the carrier is identified and liability is established. But the comparative fault allocation is the battlefield, and every percentage point is money.
For families navigating this terrain, understanding the full scope of wrongful death claims is essential — the damages available, the beneficiaries who can recover, and the survival-action separate from the wrongful-death action.
UM/UIM Coverage: What Happens When the At-Fault Driver Cannot Be Found
If the sand hauler is never identified, the family’s primary recovery avenue is the victim’s own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. Texas UM/UIM coverage extends to hit-and-run and phantom-vehicle scenarios where the at-fault driver cannot be identified. This is a contractual claim against the victim’s own auto insurer — not a lawsuit against the trucking company — and it can provide meaningful compensation even when the responsible party remains unknown.
Texas UM coverage limits vary widely depending on the policy — typically ranging from $30,000 to $250,000 or more depending on coverage selections. The victim’s auto policy must be reviewed immediately for applicable coverage, including UM, UIM, medical payments, and any umbrella or excess provisions.
Here is the critical warning: do not give a recorded statement to your own insurance company without legal representation. The UM/UIM adjuster works for the insurer, and the insurer’s goal is to pay as little as possible. The rear-end collision finding will be deployed to minimize the UM claim from the very first conversation. The adjuster may sound sympathetic. The adjuster is not your friend.
Ralph Manginello has discussed this exact issue — how uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage works in Texas and how insurers approach these claims — and that explanation of UM/UIM coverage is available for families who want to understand what their policy does and does not cover before they speak to anyone.
The Defendant Structure: Who Is Liable When the Truck Is Found
When the sand hauler is identified, the case transforms from a UM claim into a commercial trucking wrongful death with multiple layers of liability.
The sand hauler driver. The individual who operated the commercial vehicle and fled the scene. This person is liable for negligent operation of the vehicle and for the statutory violation of fleeing a fatal accident scene. The flight is both a criminal act and powerful civil evidence.
The sand hauler carrier or company. Under the doctrine of respondeat superior — vicarious liability — the carrier is liable for the negligent acts of its driver committed within the course and scope of employment. The carrier also has independent duties under FMCSA regulations: driver qualification, vehicle maintenance, trailer lighting compliance, and Hours of Service enforcement. If the carrier hired a driver who should not have been behind the wheel, or if it failed to maintain the trailer’s lighting and reflective markings, those are the carrier’s own failures — separate from the driver’s.
Negligent hiring, training, supervision, and retention. A driver who flees a fatal scene raises immediate questions about the carrier’s screening and retention practices. The driver qualification file — which FMCSA regulations require the carrier to maintain — should contain the employment application, motor vehicle record, road test certificate, annual reviews, and medical certification. What that file shows, or fails to show, is the difference between an accident and a corporate decision.
The contracting oilfield or sand mining company. If a separate entity — a sand mining operation or an oilfield company — contracted the hauler and exercised control over the driver’s operations or scheduled the nighttime delivery that placed the truck on SH 329, there may be vicarious or direct liability there as well. The Permian Basin sand hauling network is a relatively tight community of operators, dispatchers, and contractors, and the relationships between them are discoverable.
Bryant’s UM/UIM insurance carrier. As discussed above, if the sand hauler cannot be identified, the UM/UIM carrier is the primary defendant — a contractual claim, not a tort claim, but one that can provide meaningful recovery.
For the commercial trucking dimension of this case, our firm’s 18-wheeler and commercial vehicle practice covers the full scope of carrier liability, FMCSA compliance, and the evidence we pursue in commercial vehicle wrongful death cases.
The Insurance Adjuster’s Playbook: What They Will Try Before You Are Ready
Lupe Peña spent years inside a national insurance-defense firm before coming to our side of the table. He sat in the rooms where adjusters and their software decided how to deny, delay, and devalue claims. He knows their playbook because he helped write it. Here are the plays you should expect — and the counter to each.
Play 1: The “Just Checking In” Call. Within days, someone friendly will call the family to “check on you” and ask you to “just tell us what happened” — on a recording engineered to be quoted against you. The adjuster’s goal is to lock in a statement before you have representation, while you are grieving and emotionally raw. The counter is simple: do not give a recorded statement to any insurance adjuster — including your own carrier — without legal representation. You are not required to. Say “I need to speak with an attorney first” and hang up.
Play 2: The Fast Check With a Release. A settlement check may arrive fast — with a release printed on the back or buried in the paperwork — before the full scope of the loss is understood. The purpose is to close the file cheaply before the family realizes what the case is actually worth. The counter: never sign anything from an insurance company without having an attorney read it first. A release signed in the first weeks after a death can permanently extinguish claims that are worth exponentially more.
Play 3: The “Failed to Control Speed” Wedge. The adjuster will lean on the DPS preliminary finding to argue that the Kia driver was at fault. This is the comparative fault battle, and the defense will fight for every percentage point because every point is money off the recovery. The counter is the trailer conspicuity theory, the EDR data, the reconstruction analysis, and the driver’s flight — all of which reframe the narrative from “speeding driver hits truck” to “invisible trailer kills driver, truck flees.”
Play 4: The UM Delay. If the sand hauler is never found and the family pursues UM coverage, the insurer may drag its feet, request redundant documentation, or argue that the family has not met the proof requirements for a hit-and-run claim. The counter is a properly documented UM claim supported by the police report, scene evidence, and — if available — expert analysis establishing that an unidentified vehicle caused the harm.
Play 5: The “You Have Plenty of Time” Assurance. The adjuster may tell the family there is no rush — that they have two years to file. This is technically true about the statute of limitations, but it is a lie about the evidence. The logs can be erased in six months. The surveillance is gone in 30 days. The scene is degrading now. The adjuster knows this. The counter is to act immediately — not because the deadline is tomorrow, but because the proof is dying today.
The Damages: What This Case Is Worth
We are going to be honest with you about value, because honesty is what you deserve and because we are not the kind of firm that inflates a number to get a signature.
If the sand hauler is never identified, recovery is limited to the victim’s UM/UIM policy limits. In Texas, UM coverage typically ranges from $30,000 to $250,000 depending on the policy selections. This is the primary recovery avenue, and reviewing the victim’s auto policy for all available coverage — UM, UIM, medical payments, umbrella — is the first step.
If the sand hauler is identified, the case transforms into a commercial trucking wrongful death with hit-and-run aggravation, FMCSA compliance exposure, and punitive damages potential. Comparable Permian Basin commercial trucking wrongful death cases have reached multi-million-dollar recoveries. The case value range in this scenario is substantially higher — reflecting the full scope of economic and non-economic damages.
The economic damages include lost earning capacity over the victim’s remaining working life. A 42-year-old in the Permian Basin economy has decades of earning potential ahead, and a forensic economist projects that lifetime earnings stream based on occupation, education, and trajectory. Funeral and burial expenses are recoverable. Any medical costs incurred between injury and death are recoverable.
The non-economic damages include the mental anguish and loss of companionship suffered by surviving family members — the spouse, children, and parents who lost the person who came home every evening, who was part of their daily lives, whose absence is permanent and irreplaceable. Pre-impact terror — the seconds between perceiving the hazard and the collision — and any conscious pain and suffering before death are recoverable under a survival claim.
The fire raises a critical question that a qualified expert must address: whether the victim survived the initial impact with conscious awareness before the fire engulfed the vehicle. If the victim was conscious after the collision but before the fire, the survival damages include the terror and pain of those moments. A fire origin-and-cause analyst and a forensic pathologist can address this question from the physical and medical evidence.
The driver’s flight from a fatal scene supports a punitive damages claim — damages meant to punish and deter, particularly if discovery reveals the carrier had prior safety violations or the driver was operating in violation of FMCSA regulations. Punitive damages are not capped in Texas wrongful death cases against private defendants.
Texas law provides that surviving spouses, children, and parents may recover for the death of a family member caused by another’s wrongful act or neglect. Texas applies a modified comparative negligence rule: recovery is barred if the plaintiff exceeds 50% fault, but damages are reduced proportionally if fault is 50% or less.
This is the framework that governs. The comparative fault allocation — driven by the trailer conspicuity theory and the driver’s flight — is the single most important variable in the case’s value. Every percentage point of fault shifted from the Kia driver to the sand hauler is money recovered.
The First 72 Hours: What to Do and What Not to Do
Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance adjuster — not the at-fault carrier (if identified), not your own carrier, not anyone. You are not required to, and everything you say will be parsed for language that can be used to minimize your claim.
Do not sign anything from an insurance company. No release, no authorization, no settlement offer — nothing. A document signed in grief can permanently extinguish rights worth far more.
Do not post about the crash on social media. Insurance companies monitor social media accounts. A photograph, a comment, a check-in — anything can be taken out of context and used to argue the family is not suffering as claimed, or that the victim was somehow responsible.
Do preserve the victim’s vehicle. The Kia Soul and its EDR are the most important pieces of physical evidence. If the vehicle is in a tow yard, it must not be released, sold, or destroyed. A preservation demand should be sent to the towing company and law enforcement immediately.
Do secure the victim’s auto insurance policy and declarations page. Every coverage selection matters — UM, UIM, medical payments, PIP, umbrella. The policy must be reviewed by someone who knows what to look for.
Do identify and document witnesses. Anyone who saw the crash, saw the truck before or after, or has information about sand hauling operations on SH 329 that night — their memories are fading. Identify them now.
Do call us. The preservation letter goes out the day you call. The EDR imaging is scheduled. The surveillance canvass begins. The cell tower preservation demand is filed. The scene is documented. Every clock that is running against you starts working for you instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
The DPS report says the Kia “failed to control speed.” Does that mean my family cannot recover?
No. The DPS report’s language is a preliminary investigative finding — an officer’s first-pass observation written in the hours after a crash on a dark rural highway. It is not a judicial determination of fault, and it is not binding on a civil case. The critical question is why the driver could not control his speed — and if the trailer was not visible because its lights and reflective markings were non-compliant with federal regulations, causation shifts from the Kia driver to the commercial vehicle. The DPS finding is the starting point of the fight, not the end of it.
The sand hauler has not been found. Can we still pursue a claim?
Yes. Texas UM/UIM coverage extends to hit-and-run and phantom-vehicle scenarios where the at-fault driver cannot be identified. The victim’s own auto insurance policy is the primary recovery avenue until the sand hauler is located. The policy must be reviewed immediately for UM, UIM, medical payments, and any umbrella coverage. Additionally, an aggressive parallel investigation — subpoenaing sand hauling company dispatch records, pursuing cell tower data for the SH 329 corridor, canvassing oilfield sites that may have received sand deliveries that night, and circulating the forensic markers (rear-end damage, blue paint transfer) to area repair shops — can identify the truck and driver.
How long do we have to file a wrongful death claim in Texas?
Texas imposes a two-year statute of limitations on wrongful death claims, running from the date of death. The survival action — the claim for the victim’s pre-death pain, suffering, and expenses — also carries a two-year deadline. But the statute of limitations is not the deadline that matters most. The evidence — the EDR data, the truck’s electronic logs, the surveillance footage, the scene evidence — dies on a much shorter schedule. The two-year deadline is the outer limit. The real deadline is measured in days and weeks.
What if the victim was partially at fault for the crash?
Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule with a 51% bar. If the victim is found to be 50% or less at fault, the family can recover — but the recovery is reduced by the victim’s percentage of fault. If the victim is 51% or more at fault, recovery is barred. The defense will fight to push the fault allocation above 50% using the DPS “failed to control speed” finding. The trailer conspicuity theory, the EDR data, and the driver’s flight are the weapons that keep the allocation below that line.
The Kia caught fire. Does that affect the case?
Yes, in two ways. First, the fire raises the question of whether the victim survived the initial impact with conscious awareness before the fire — a question that affects survival damages (pre-death pain and suffering) versus wrongful death damages (the family’s loss). A fire origin-and-cause analyst and a forensic pathologist can address this from the physical and medical evidence. Second, the fire may implicate vehicle design or fuel-system integrity questions that could open additional theories of liability against the vehicle manufacturer — though that is a separate analysis from the hit-and-run trucking case.
What are punitive damages, and does this case support them?
Punitive damages are damages meant to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct in the future — they are awarded on top of compensatory damages. The driver’s flight from a fatal accident scene is strong evidence of consciousness of guilt and supports a punitive damages claim, particularly if discovery reveals the carrier had prior safety violations or the driver was operating in violation of FMCSA regulations. Texas does not cap punitive damages in wrongful death cases against private defendants. Punitive damages are available if the carrier is identified; they are not available in a UM/UIM contractual claim against the victim’s own insurer.
How much does it cost to hire Attorney911?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency — 33.33% before trial, 40% if the case goes to trial. We do not get paid unless we win your case. The consultation is free. The preservation letter goes out the day you call, at no cost to you. We advance the costs of investigation — the EDR imaging, the accident reconstruction, the surveillance canvass — and those costs are recovered from the settlement or verdict, not from your pocket.
What should I do right now, today?
Three things. First, do not speak to any insurance adjuster — yours or anyone else’s — without legal representation. Second, do not sign anything. Third, call 1-888-ATTY-911. We will review the case, identify every available insurance policy, send the preservation letters, and begin the parallel investigation to find the sand hauler. The call is free. The conversation is confidential. And the clock is already running.
Who We Are and Why It Matters
Ralph Manginello has spent 27+ years in courtrooms, including federal court. He is a journalist who became a lawyer — which means he knows how to find the story the evidence tells, and he knows how to tell it to a jury. He is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He is a competitor who hates losing, and he handles commercial truck and 18-wheeler crash cases across Texas with the intensity of someone who understands that the company on the other side has a team of lawyers and a strategy designed to pay the family as little as possible.
Lupe Peña is a former insurance-defense attorney. He spent years inside a national defense firm — the rooms where adjusters and their software decided how to deny, delay, and devalue people exactly like the family reading this page. He knows how claim valuation software works. He knows how IME doctors are selected. He knows the delay tactics, the surveillance, the social-media monitoring. He now uses that knowledge for injured clients. He is fluent in Spanish and conducts full consultations in Spanish without an interpreter.
We handle cases in Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, serving Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Galveston, Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Jefferson, Orange, and Hardin Counties — and we take commercial vehicle and wrongful death cases across the state, including the Permian Basin.
We have recovered $50,000,000+ for our clients. Millions recovered in trucking wrongful death cases. A $5M+ brain-injury settlement. A $3.8M+ amputation settlement. A $2.5M+ truck-crash recovery. Past results depend on the facts of each case and do not guarantee future outcomes — but the track record tells you what kind of fight we bring.
What the First Call Feels Like
The first call is not a sales pitch. It is a conversation with a trial lawyer who will listen to what happened, ask the questions that matter, and tell you honestly whether and how we can help. If we are not the right fit for your case, we will tell you. If we are, the first thing that happens is the preservation letter — the document that orders the trucking company, the towing yard, and every custodian of evidence to freeze what they have before it disappears. Then the investigation begins. The EDR is scheduled for imaging. The surveillance canvass is organized. The cell tower preservation demand is prepared. The victim’s insurance policies are reviewed for every dollar of available coverage.
You will not be alone in this. You will have a team that has done this before, that knows the Permian Basin and its trucking industry, that knows the insurance playbook from the inside, and that knows how to build a case that a jury in West Texas will understand — because the people who sit on juries in Crane County and the surrounding counties know these roads. They know these trucks. They know what it means when a sand hauler drives away from a dead man on a dark highway.
Call 1-888-ATTY-911. Free consultation. No fee unless we win your case. 24/7 live staff — not an answering service.
Hablamos Español. Lupe Peña conducts full consultations in Spanish without an interpreter. Your family is served in the language you pray in.
The truck is out there. Someone in the Permian Basin sand hauling community knows which truck sustained rear-end damage on the night of January 6, 2026. Someone knows which trailer has blue paint transfer that does not belong to it. The question is whether we reach them before the evidence disappears — and that question is answered by how soon you call.