Waller County collision left longtime commercial driver facing sacroiliac joint fusion and ongoing treatment.
WALLER COUNTY, Texas — For more than two decades, a Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers client made his living behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler and spent his time off doing the things he loved most — building custom motorcycles by hand, riding with his community, working his land, and teaching his daughters how to ride horses and rodeo. A single afternoon on State Highway 6 took much of that away. What followed has been more than three years of pain, doctor’s visits, injections, surgery, and more procedures still to come.
The collision happened in May 2022, on Highway 6 north of FM 1736 in Waller County. The 48-year-old client was hauling a loaded tractor-trailer northbound when a driver exiting a private drive pulled onto the highway and into his path. He steered hard to the left to avoid a direct hit, but the vehicles collided in the roadway.
The client is a longtime commercial truck driver and a father of two who has been married for 24 years. Away from the road, he was known for building award-caliber custom motorcycles from the frame up, traveling to bike shows and rallies, tending horses and cattle on his property, and spending time outdoors with his family. Friends knew him as strong, self-reliant, and rarely still.
The wreck left him with injuries to his left shoulder, neck, lower back, and left sacroiliac joint. As conservative treatment failed to resolve his lower-back and hip pain, his physicians recommended a sacroiliac joint fusion, along with additional injection and nerve procedures. More than three years later, he continues to live with daily pain that has changed how he works, sleeps, and moves through everyday life, and he still faces major surgery ahead.
“People assume the driver of an 18-wheeler is always the one protected in a crash,” said Dennis Moore, the Daniel Stark attorney who tried the case. “That wasn’t the reality here. Truck driving was how our client made a living and provided for his family. Now, he’s facing years of pain and treatment that could make it difficult to keep doing the work his family has depended on him to do.”
The case was tried in 2026 in Harris County, where a jury returned a verdict of $1,015,000. The verdict will help cover the cost of the surgeries and treatment still in front of him.
“When you’re pulling onto a highway from a private drive or side road, take the extra second to make sure the road is clear,” Moore said. “A fully loaded 18-wheeler can’t stop or get out of the way as quickly as a passenger vehicle. Waiting a few more seconds could prevent a crash like this and save someone from a lifetime of pain.”
Failure to yield the right of way is consistently among the leading contributing factors in Texas traffic crashes, and collisions involving large commercial vehicles on rural state highways carry an especially high risk of serious injury.
Safety reminders for sharing the road with large trucks:
- Before pulling onto a highway from a private drive or side road, stop, look twice, and wait for a clear gap; oncoming vehicles are closer and faster than they appear.
- Give commercial trucks extra room. A fully loaded tractor-trailer needs far more distance to stop than a passenger car.
- Stay out of a truck’s blind spots — along both sides, directly behind, and just in front of the cab. If you can’t see the driver in the truck’s mirrors, the driver can’t see you. Crowding a truck leaves you in a blind spot where the driver may never know you are there.
- Make eye contact when possible and make sure the driver can see you before entering the roadway.
- Slow down and stay alert on rural highways, where speeds are high and intersections and driveways can appear with little warning.
While no verdict can give back the years, the routines, and the passions this crash interrupted, the result provides the financial resources for the medical care and support the client will need going forward.
For more information about the firm and its work on behalf of injured Texans, visit https://www.danielstark.com/success-stories.
About Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers: Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers is a Texas-based personal injury law firm known for protecting clients with both heart and aggression while highlighting each client’s unique story to pursue the full value of their injury. The team is committed to promoting safety, preventing injuries, and supporting communities across Texas through educational initiatives, public outreach, and advocacy programs.
The firm handles a wide range of personal injury cases, including car and truck accidents, motorcycle crashes, catastrophic injuries, workplace injuries, wrongful death claims, dog bite injuries, and other serious injury matters throughout Texas.
With more than 25 years of experience, Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers serves clients across the state, with offices in North and South Austin, Bryan-College Station, Killeen, Waco, and Tyler, while actively contributing to programs that strengthen roadway safety and benefit local communities.
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