Truck traffic cited in Eagle Ford oil boom ‘frenzy’

On Behalf of | Oct 15, 2012 | Truck Accidents |

As Jennifer Hiller reports for Fuel Fix, a Karnes County woman describes some recent automotive-related events. These include: The bottom of her car scraping the road from driving in ruts creating by oilfield trucks, her boyfriend almost getting injured or worse in a truck accident, and her sister’s home covered in dust generated from truck traffic.

It’s all from the Eagle Ford Shale trucks – and it’s estimated that Texas government will need to scrounge up $2 billion every year to fix up the roads.

It’s a “round-the-clock frenzy,” writes Hiller, driven by the Eagle Ford Shale oil boom. There are rural roads taking the abuse of thousands of trucks. Average motorists have to contend with those trucks, too, which means plenty of close-calls (like for the Karnes County woman’s brother) and plenty of accidents that result in injury or worse.

One road engineer said, “Some of these roads will bounce you right off the pavement it’s such a rough ride.” And a convenience store owner said, “Sometimes it’s dangerous on the roads.”

Well, perhaps that’s an understatement. If you’re a motorist and you are hit by an 18-wheeler or other type of large truck on oilfield business, you have a right to pursue a claim for financial compensation for your injuries. It may be oil boom “frenzy,” but that doesn’t give trucks license to speed and create other traffic hazards.

Source: Eagle Ford counties facing a rough road toward repairs