The side of the road can be a very dangerous place to be, especially in the dark. Early Saturday morning, two tow trucks were pulled over on the side of the road outside of Houston, Texas, assisting a female driver who had a flat tire.

But then, as one of the tow truck drivers helped two women from the car change the tire, an approaching 18-wheeler swerved right for no apparent reason and collided into the first tow truck, causing an accident that sent three people to the hospital, two in serious condition.

The accident occurred at about 2:30 a.m. on Highway 90 near Miller Road in east Harris County, Texas, after two tow trucks showed up to assist a Chevrolet that had pulled over to the side of the highway with a flat tire, authorities said.

Apparently, the tow truck that was hit first by the semi then slammed into the second tow truck, taking out its driver who was changing the tire on the Chevy. The impact also sent the Chevy down into a grassy embankment and across an adjacent frontage road.

The driver of the first tow truck was in the vehicle at the time of the collision and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance with minor injuries. The Chevy was also occupied by a female passenger at the time of impact, and both she and the driver of the second tow truck had to be airlifted to a hospital for treatment. Both were listed in serious condition, authorities said.

At this point it is not known what caused the driver of the semi-truck to swerve into the tow truck. However, there are many possibilities, including driver fatigue and excessive speed, both of which could put the 18-wheeler driver at fault. If this is the case, the injured parties may be able to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against the driver and his company for compensation.

Source: KHOU, "3 hospitalized after accident involving 18-wheeler, wreckers," 5/21/2011.