A Dallas personal injury firm has filed suit against AT&T, alleging the telecommunications company allowed its cables to hang at dangerous heights above a heavily trafficked commercial corridor in Midland, Texas, causing a utility pole to collapse and injuring multiple people.
The lawsuit, filed in Dallas County District Court, centers on who bears responsibility when infrastructure maintenance failures create road hazards that lead to accidents.
According to court filings, a commercial truck driver's 18-wheeler snagged dangling AT&T cables suspended over the roadway. The contact pulled down an electrical pole onto the highway, injuring several people. The Potts Law Firm represents plaintiffs Félix Alberto Prieto and Yvette Gandara against Southwestern Bell Telephone Company operating as AT&T Texas in Case No. DC-26-17579. The firm contends that AT&T's failure to maintain proper clearance heights constitutes negligence.
Midland's commercial corridors carry substantial truck traffic, particularly vehicles servicing the oil and gas industry. Unlike residential or light-traffic zones, these routes see constant heavy commercial use—a fact that typically imposes heightened duty-of-care obligations on infrastructure managers.
"When a company creates or permits a dangerous condition on a heavily traveled roadway, the consequences can be severe," said Derek Potts, managing partner at Potts Law Firm. "Professional drivers spend their days on our roads doing their jobs, and they deserve to do so without encountering preventable hazards like utility lines hanging at dangerously low heights."
Utility companies typically fall under state and federal standards governing clearance heights—requirements designed to prevent this type of incident. AT&T did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations.
Russell Shrauner, an attorney on the case, said: "Truck drivers already face significant road risks, and they shouldn't have to worry about a utility company leaving a hazardous condition in their path."
The suit seeks damages for what the plaintiffs' legal team characterizes as a preventable failure in infrastructure management. Records searches show utility line clearance violations have figured in multiple transportation liability cases across Texas in recent years. The Texas Public Utilities Commission maintains standards for utility line installation and maintenance, though enforcement and compliance vary by operator and region.
The case will proceed through Dallas County's civil court system. Given the apparent clarity of the physical facts, the litigation may ultimately turn on questions of foreseeability, duty and whether AT&T's maintenance protocols met applicable regulatory standards.
