One Injured in Crash with MTA Bus on Fondren Road in Houston, TX
Houston, TX -- May 18, 2021, a 48-year-old man was injured in a collision with a Houston Mass Transit Authority bus on Fondren Road in Harris County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:05 p.m. on the 13200 block of Fondren near State Highway 90 (Main Street). Preliminary investigation suggests the victim was driving a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck south on the roadway next to a Houston MTA bus. Reports indicate the Dodge driver attempted to turn into a private drive from the outside lane of Fondren, cutting across the path of the southbound bus. The two vehicles collided near the entrance to the private drive, causing the pickup to spin and strike another Dodge Ram truck.
The first Ram driver suffered serious injuries in the crash. No other injuries were reported.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on MTA Bus Accident on Fondren Road in Harris County
Police reports seem to put the lion's share of responsibility on the pickup driver who may have made an improper turn. Some may think that sufficiently explains this accident and be content with blaming the victim, but I've learned over the years to make sure all the possible explanations are accounted for before settling on a specific cause. Rather than uncritically accepting the preliminary "best guess" of the investigating officer, the right thing to do is further examine the crash for any possible X-factors that might not have been clear at the time. For instance, what if the pickup driver lost control of the truck and veered unwillingly into the path of the bus? Could the driver have experienced some kind of medical issue that incapacitated him? How fast was the bus traveling? Was there any time to stop or steer clear?
Those are just a few of the additional questions that urgently need answers to ensure the crash is best understood. Police may have settled on a sequence of events that seems feasible, but juts saying what happened gives no particular insights into why it happened. For the sake of all those involved, it's important to be sure the whole truth is learned.
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