Adam Lee Reyna Killed in Taylor County Truck Accident
Semi-truck driver charged with intoxication manslaughter after failing to yield at stop sign
Adam Lee Reyna, 26, of Mission, was killed in a commercial truck accident at the corner of Highway 351 and County Road 504 in Taylor County, Texas, on Tuesday, April 21, according to the Department of Public Safety.
Miguel Angel Casanova, 68, was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter after being treated for minor injuries at Hendrick North Emergency Care facility. He remains in the Taylor County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
The westbound semi-truck pulling a trailer failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the pickup truck, investigators said. The impact caused the smaller vehicle to catch fire and it was completely destroyed.
The driver of the pickup was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation. According to the National Safety Council, Texas led the nation with 730 large truck crash deaths in 2023.
The fatal truck accident in Taylor County, where a semi-truck failed to stop at a stop sign at the corner of Highway 351 and County Road 504, highlights the dangers at intersections involving large commercial vehicles. The impact, which caused Reyna's pickup truck to catch fire, suggests a high-speed collision or significant force. Investigators will examine factors such as the semi-truck's speed, the driver's actions, and the condition of the intersection's signage.
National Legal Analyst Candice Bond, Managing Partner at Bond Legal. "Healing from a collision with an eighty-thousand-pound vehicle is a long and exhausting road for any survivor," Bond said. "It's hard to grasp that a truck needs two full football fields to stop, so there's almost no room for error." This perspective underscores the limited reaction time available to truck drivers, especially when approaching intersections.
National Legal Analyst Stefano Formica, Of Counsel at Bond Legal. "I've seen families shattered by a truck's shifting load that caused a sudden, violent rollover," Formica stated. "When cargo isn't secured, it creates a waterfall effect that'll flip an eighty-thousand-pound trailer in a heartbeat." While the initial reports do not specify a shifting load in this incident, investigators will likely review the semi-truck's cargo securement as part of their full examination.
What is the role of the Department of Public Safety in this investigation?
How do investigators determine the cause of a truck failing to stop at a stop sign?
What kind of data can be recovered from the semi-truck?
Texas wrongful death statute
Under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 71.001, surviving family members may file a wrongful death action. Texas applies modified comparative fault (51% bar). The statute of limitations is 2 years.
Recoverable damages may include loss of financial support, loss of companionship and consortium, funeral expenses, and mental anguish.