Wrong Way Wreck On South 35 This AM

[C-Man 27353]

My wife and I were driving back to Dallas from our "destination" wedding in Boerne three Aprils ago. We'd been following a couple friends on 281 before cutting over to 67 after eating dinner in Hico. Because we'd stopped several times it was dark outside when we were going through Glen Rose. There was a lot of highway construction and lighting wasn't great. It was probably around 9 or so when I noticed car headlights coming at us. As the lights drew closer I asked my wife if that was in our lane -- there were those orange traffic barrels and the cement temporary dividers and almost no shoulder.

Finally, the realization set in that YES those fucking lights were in our lane and coming straight at us. I locked the brakes and slid into the half shoulder as the box truck did the same on the other side. Phones and all kinds of shit slid off my console and we sat there for a few moments in utter shock. I finally collected my wits and drove back onto 67, on our way home to Dallas. I was shook up something fierce.

I tried not to let on but if we could've found a hotel, I would've pulled off and gotten a room. It took about an hour to get home and while we were unpacking, I let my wife know how shaken I'd been. I've never wanted to get out of a car more than that. I'm not sure how that box truck got out of there because there was no way he was going to be able to turn the truck around because it was so tight. His only way out was going to go reverse for several hundred yards or more.

[FondrenRoad 4378]

On 7/26/2020 at 10:04 PM, conVINCEd said:

Had a friend hit the femce of this house, completely sober in the afternoon.  It had just started raining and he was going way too fast.

I forgot about that entrance/exit. I always avoided it if I could. A significant number of entrance/exits around NYC are built like that as well.  Im surprised more wrong ways don't happen.

I'd hate to live in that house.  The interchange probably devalued the property significantly. Just taking it with eminent domain would be more just. 

[clapclapclap 9000]

Happened in North Texas last weekend, someone with a dashcam dodged her, a judge wasn't able to:

https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/07/26/suspected-drunk-driver-in-wrong-way-crash-kills-texas-5th-court-of-appeals-justice-david-bridges/

Spoiler

Police said three cars were involved, and the woman they arrested, Megan E. Smith is suspected of driving while intoxicated.

The crash happened at 9:30 p.m., on Saturday, July 25, 2020, on westbound Interstate 30 near Farm-to-Market (FM) 2642.

Police said the 32-year-old Smith was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes when she struck two vehicles — one of which was occupied by Bridges. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the second vehicle was not injured and Smith was taken to an area hospital for minor injuries, treated, released, and booked into the Hunt County Jail on a charge for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle.

Judge Bridges was born in Fort Worth. He was a former district attorney and senior disciplinary counsel for the State Bar of Texas before joining the state’s highest criminal appeals court.

He was also a father.

Bridges served on the Fifth District Court of Appeals since 1996, according to the Texas Judicial Branch.

“David’s a big guy 6’2, 6’4,” Justice David Evans said. “I don’t think I ever saw him without cowboy boots on. You know that 72 ounce steak out in Amarillo – well David is the only person I know who successfully ate that thing.”

Justice Evans worked with Justice David Bridges in the Texas 5th District Court of Appeals for many years and loved hearing his stories.

“He was an easy guy to talk to you about everything.. work related things.. case related things,” he said.

This morning, he learned of his passing.

“I was shocked,” he said. “I got a text when I was in church and from the moment I got the text I cannot even hear a word from the rest of what my pastor said.”

“What’s so sad is it’s completely avoidable,” Dallas County Republican Party Chair Rodney Anderson said.

Anderson stays in close contact with all the republican elected officials. Justice Bridges was running for re-election. They just spoke last week.

“Just a good guy, all around good guy and we would see him at our executive committee meetings periodically and he would say hey.. show up and say hey,” Anderson said.

He was approaching his 25th year with the 5th District Court of Appeals.

“He was the longest serving justice on the court,” Justice Evans said.

He also served in the U.S. Army and was an assistant district attorney in two east Texas counties.

“He was a good guy to work with,” Justice Evans said. “Wrote his cases, knew his stuff. We could talk about the cases, he had reasons for why he thought the ruling should be. He was a great guy to work with and we’re going to miss him very, very much.”

Justice Bridges was a dedicated husband and loving father to two daughters.

 

Edited July 28, 2020 by clapclapclap

[Wally Pryor 5311]

Damn.

[Hate 20157]

One reason why I try to not drive at night. I realize these things could happen during daytime hours and that your risk of getting into a wreck while driving will always be greater than zero, but it seems these events happen at night more often than not.