Barbara Cole, Don and Charlene Snider Injured in Auto Accident on Hwy 96 in Jasper County, TX
Jasper County, TX -- February 2, 2022, three people were injured in a traffic accident on Highway 96 in north Jasper County.
Authorities say the incident happened some time before 5:00 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 96 and Recreational Road 255. Preliminary investigation suggests that a Dodge Ram pickup was traveling east on RR-255 when the driver reportedly pulled into the highway's travel lanes and entered the path of a southbound GMC SUV.
The driver of the GMC, 52-year-old Barbara Cole, was transported to a Lufkin hospital. The pickup driver, 75-year-old Don Snider, and his passenger, 70-year-old Charlene Snider, were taken by ambulance to another hospital.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Barbara Cole, Don and Charlene Snider Accident on Hwy 96 in Jasper County
Currently news sources can only say that a collision occurred and three people were hurt. I'm not coming down on anyone for not having more information so soon after the accident, but that means reports are frustratingly vague right now. I hope investigators are hard at work filling in more blanks, but in the meantime I discourage deciding what happened for one's self.
Police are still working to figure out what happened and have a long way to go before they could say who or what is to blame. To find answers to those questions, they must still look into many potential factors: Common driver mistakes like distraction or speeding, certainly, but also defects or mechanical problems within the vehicles themselves, road conditions and design, the possibility of impairment, visibility, lighting and sightlines, inclement weather, other traffic in the area, and many other elements that could have influenced or even caused the collision.
While those variables are evaluated making assumptions isn't a good idea. I've seen too many cases where people rushed to judgment after reading the few details in an early news release, only for information to come to light that completely changed their minds. The same thing could happen here, though it's also possible a standard police investigation might not explain things as much as one would hope.
After a serious accident like the one Jasper County I always suggest an independent investigation to make sure all the facts are found. Whatever is discovered, those affected deserve to know that every effort was made to bring them all the available answers. Any further steps would depend largely on what those answers turn out to be.
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