A Donna man was killed after being ejected from his vehicle in a fiery September 13 crash near Weslaco, state troopers said in a news release.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says the two-vehicle crash occurred around 5:40 p.m. near the intersection of Mile 6 West Road and Mile 12 North Road.
Troopers say a 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer was heading south on Mile 6 while a white 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 was traveling west on Mile 12.
According to DPS, the driver of the Silverado “disregarded a stop sign and collided with the” Trailblazer.
The Chevrolet Silverado veered into a large drainage ditch and burst into flames, DPS said, adding that the driver of the Chevrolet Trailblazer was transported to (DHR Health) with non-life-threatening injuries.”
The driver of the Silverado, however, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene of the crash due to his injuries. He was identified as 56-year-old Concepcion Chable Reyes of Donna.
Seat belt malfunctions
When someone is ejected from a vehicle during a crash, it’s usually because the person was either not wearing a safety belt, or wearing one improperly. However, there are rare occasions when a person can be thrown from a vehicle even when they are properly buckled up, but the safety belt malfunctioned.
How seat belts can malfunction
Seat belts can occasionally be defective, just like any other auto part. The most-common defects are:
- False latching
- Internal unlatching
- Mount misplacement
- Fabric weaving defects
- Lock failures
Who is liable?
Liability can only be determined by investigating the specific circumstances of each accident. If it’s found that the seat belt indeed malfunctioned, the manufacturer of that seat belt could be held responsible for your injuries.
If the seat belt was working properly, but the accident was so severe that the impact cause the seat belt to constrict your chest and cause catastrophic trauma, the driver that was at-fault for the accident would be the one liable for your injuries.
Other possibilities are too numerous to list them all here, which is why the facts of each accident must be thoroughly investigated to determine exactly what happened.
J. Gonzalez can examine your case
If you’re the victim of a seat belt injury, or any other injury resulting from a car accident that wasn’t your fault, the personal injury attorneys at the J. Gonzalez Law Firm will give you the best legal representation available in Texas.
To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation, call today at 1-800-CAR-CRASH.
Source: https://myrgv.com/local-news/2024/09/14/donna-man-ejected-killed-in-fiery-crash-near-weslaco/
