Tiffany’s Law aims to prevent future disasters by giving cities the power to ban 18-wheelers from toll roads.
FORT WORTH, Texas — A new legislative proposal, known as Tiffany’s Law, has been filed to give cities the power to prohibit 18-wheelers from using toll roads.
The bill, introduced by State Rep. Ramon Romero, D-Fort Worth, aims to enhance safety and prevent future tragedies like the devastating February 2021 North Texas pileup that claimed six lives, including that of Tiffany Gerred.
The massive accident, which remains the largest chain-reaction crash in North Texas history, occurred on a treacherous icy stretch of the Interstate 35 toll lanes. More than 130 vehicles were involved in the crash. Among the victims were Gerred and fellow motorist Mike Wells, both of whom lost their lives when an 18-wheeler carrying a FedEx load plowed into the wreckage.
Following the tragedy, both the Gerred and Wells families have filed lawsuits against FedEx, various trucking companies, the toll road operator, and other entities, alleging negligence in road management and trucking safety regulations. The case is set to go to trial this summer.
If enacted, Tiffany’s Law would empower cities to restrict large commercial vehicles from accessing toll lanes, a move supporters argue could prevent high-speed trucking accidents in hazardous weather conditions.
“We want to see the legislature passing these laws where these semis can’t do what they did,” her father, Juan Gerred, said in a recent interview.
