Monday, April 6, 2015

THE NEVER-ENDING CARNAGE ON THE DEADLY US ROADS: 3 MORE DIE IN FIERY HEAD-ON COLLISION BETWEEN AN RV AND AN SUV ON US 87 NEAR TAHOKA, TEXAS





APRIL 6, 2015

LYNN COUNTY, TEXAS

Speed was a factor in a fiery crash between an SUV and a recreational vehicle that killed at least three people Monday afternoon in Lynn County.

The crash happened about 3:30 p.m. on US 87 about five miles north of Tahoka officials had to wait more than three hours for the wreckage to cool down enough to count the victims.

The RV flipped following the head-on collision, said Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Cpl. John Gonzalez.

“It takes a lot to catch a vehicle on fire,” he said.

By 7:30 p.m., Madison Kate Lockaby, 19 of Tahoka, was identified as the SUV’s driver who died at the scene.

Officials detoured traffic on the northbound lane of the highway and reduced the southbound traffic to a single lane as they investigated the crash.

DPS investigators are still waiting for the wreckage to cool down before confirming how many people were killed in the crash, Gonzalez said about 6 p.m.

“We don’t know how many right now are deceased,” he said. “They’re still trying to get the vehicles cooled down so they can get in and remove the people from there.”

An initial investigation shows the SUV clipped a pickup truck on the southbound lane of the highway, veered into the northbound lane and collided into the RV, Gonzalez said.

Both vehicles caught on fire on the shoulder of the northbound lane of the highway.

As we always say: it is better to arrive late at your current destination, than to arrive early at your final destination.  Slow down at intersections and elsewhere when you see speeding or aggressive drivers, let the aggressive drivers go first, it does not worth it getting you or your family injured or dying.