Abiy Hagos, Jaylen Wyatt Killed in Wrong-Way Crash in Brazoria County, TX
Brazoria County, TX — June 27, 2022, 44-year-old Abiy Hagos and 28-year-old Jaylen Wyatt died in a multi-vehicle crash in Brazoria County.
According to reports the incident happened around 12:10 a.m. on State Highway 288 near County Road 48. Preliminary investigation suggests Wyatt was driving a Nissan Altima north in the inside southbound lane of the highway, the wrong direction. Ahead, a Nissan Versa was headed south behind Hagos in an Acura MDX.
As the Altima approached headed the wrong way, the Versa driver veered to the right to avoid it and sideswiped a bobtail commercial truck in the next lane. The Altima then crashed into the Acura head-on, dealing fatal injuries to both Wyatt and Hagos. The Versa driver received minor injuries; no other injuries were reported.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Abiy Hagos, Jaylen Wyatt Accident in Brazoria County
It sets off some pretty serious warning bells when someone drives on the wrong side of the road, particularly in a late-night (or early-morning, depending on perspective) crash. There are a few common explanations for those--disorientation in an unfamiliar area, limited visibility on a dark stretch of road, distraction from something inside the vehicle, intoxication--and each deserves careful investigation. Intoxication in particular is important to look into; if the driver was over-served by a bar before traveling the wrong way on that highway then that business may be liable for the victims' fatal injuries under dram shop law.
However, right now it's still anyone's guess why someone traveled the wrong direction on the highway. Until more conclusive evidence is found it's best nobody jump to any conclusions. I mentioned some possibilities to investigate, but I don't know if any of them are the right explanation. That's for investigators to find out, so will law enforcement invest the time and effort to learn the full story?
