Marla Hernandez Injured in Wrong-Way Crash with Big Rig on East Freeway in Baytown, TX
UPDATE (December 21, 2022): Sources have identified the victim of this accident as 42-year-old Marla Hernandez.
Baytown, TX — December 6, 2022, a woman was injured in a wrong-way collision with a tractor-trailer on the East Freeway in Baytown.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:40 a.m. along the eastbound freeway (I-10) near North Main. Preliminary investigation suggests the victim was driving a Toyota RAV4 west in the eastbound lanes, against traffic, when she collided head-on with a Freightliner 18-wheeler.
The woman was airlifted from the scene to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. The truck driver was reportedly unhurt.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Marla Hernandez Accident in Baytown
To be clear, I don't know more than what reports say as investigators work to understand what happened here. Nobody should jump to conclusions before facts and evidence can tell the true story.
For instance, people may be tempted to quickly blame driver mistakes like intoxication or distraction for what happened, but it's possible that something rarer like a sudden medical episode, low visibility, or unclear signage caused the victim to accidentally travel against traffic. While I'm not accusing the truck driver of anything, it's also important to find out for sure whether they could have done anything differently to avoid the head-on collision.
Again, I'm not suggesting I know anything beyond what preliminary reports can tell us. I'm only saying a careful and thorough investigation is needed to figure out what really happened. Police often content themselves with a "by the book" process that lets important details slip away as they focus on simple explanations and whether anyone should be charged, so people in search of answers are often better served by knowing what else should be looked for. Click below to learn more.
