The man, who did not want to be publicly identified, was recently transferred to an in-patient rehabilitation hospital. He suffered a severe concussion and hasn\u2019t been able to use his legs since the Sept. 29 accident, according to Houston attorney Andrew Piekalkiewicz<\/a>. He\u2019s suing the trucking company along with the 18-wheeler\u2019s owner and driver.<\/p>\n According to Arlington police, the man was driving a Nissan Altima and trying to merge onto I-20 from the U.S. 287 ramp when his car hit an eastbound tractor-trailer. The car became trapped between the trailer and the concrete barrier on the right side of the highway.<\/p>\n Click to resize<\/p>\n \u201cHe was trapped in the vehicle, had to be cut out by the fire department using the jaws of life, and was then life-flighted to a nearby hospital,\u201d a spokesperson for the attorney\u2019s office told the Star-Telegram in an email. \u201cHis vehicle was declared a total loss.\u201d<\/p>\n Piekalkiewicz said his firm got involved after the injured man\u2019s wife reached out to them. The lawsuit, which was filed Oct. 6 in Dallas County, alleges that the \u201cPlaintiff was carefully and prudently travelling an entrance ramp onto I-20 in Arlington, Texas, when Defendant … suddenly entered his lane and crashed into him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlaintiff\u2019s injuries and damages were caused by the negligence and gross negligence of Defendant,\u201d the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the trucking company, Smith Williams Express Transportation, said he could not comment on legal matters when reached by phone Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n The 18-wheeler was traveling in the far right-hand lane. The semi\u2019s driver told police that there was another 18-wheeler in the next lane, so \u201che could not move over to give the outside lane to the merging traffic,\u201d the accident report states. The police investigation concluded that the Nissan failed to yield, hit the loaded trailer and got pinned between it and the concrete barrier, according to the report.<\/p>\n The man injured in a Sept. 29 crash with an 18-wheeler in Arlington is suing the trucking company along with the owner and driver, his attorney says. Texas Truck Accident Lawyer <\/p>\n Piekalkiewicz told the Star-Telegram in an Oct. 8 phone interview that the first hospital where the injured man was taken discharged him on Oct. 7 even though he still didn\u2019t have the use of his legs. His attorneys had to scramble to get him sent to another hospital where he could continue getting care.<\/p>\n \u201cFor them to discharge him when he was still in the condition that he was in was pretty outrageous,\u201d Piekalkiewicz said. \u201cYou know, he obviously wasn\u2019t medically clear to be released.\u201d<\/p>\n Piekalkiewicz said his firm was working to get an order to preserve evidence from the accident. They were are also looking into whether the construction in the area could have contributed to the crash.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are potential implications to whether or not there was a safe and effective traffic control plan in place at the time of the wreck, which may or may not have contributed to the crash,\u201d Piekalkiewicz told the Star-Telegram. \u201cSo we\u2019re looking very carefully at that and securing experts to advise us on that issue as well.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published October 21, 2026 4:20 PM.<\/p>\n
![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792637294_792_Headshot.png\")