According to news reports, the 18-wheeler was waiting by the side of the road because it had run out of gas.
November 3, 2018 – 12:50 am: A man is dead after rear-ending an 18-wheeler that was waiting on the side of the road very early Saturday morning. The man’s identity has not been released at this time, and the driver of the 18-wheeler was not injured in the crash.
The accident took place in northeast Houston, near the spot where Beaumont Highway and Oates Road cross.
According to officers from the Houston Police Department, the 18-wheeler was parked by the side of the road, on account of having run out of fuel. The driver of the 18-wheeler had pulled off to the side of the road, but the back end of the trailer still extended out into the flow of traffic.
The driver of the pickup truck hit the 18-wheeler from the rear, and when first responders arrived, he was pronounced dead on the scene.
The pickup was travelling fast enough that the force of the impact pushed the 18-wheeler forward into a ditch by the side of the road.
The cause of the crash is still unknown at this time. The accident is under investigation.