William Jakobeit Injured in Rollover Crash on SH 71 in Austin, TX
UPDATE (January 19, 2023): The victim of this accident has been identified as 27-year-old William Jakobeit.
Austin, TX — December 8, 2022, a man was seriously injured when his pickup truck overturned on State Highway 71 in Austin.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:20 a.m. along Highway 71 near Brandt Drive. Preliminary investigation suggests only that the driver was headed east when he lost control for unknown reasons. His Nissan Frontier veered into a grassy median and then hit a guardrail, which sliced through the truck's front and caused it to overturn. It came to rest on its roof with its front facing the eastbound roadway.
Responders extricated the victim and transported him to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
No further information is available at this time.
Reports say little so far except that the driver may have lost control and his truck flipped over. That could have happened for a lot of reasons, and it's important to consider them all to get the truth. Was the truck in good repair? Any malfunctions or defects? Could it have blown a tire? Was the road hazardous from water or debris? Was the victim in good health, awake, alert, and paying careful attention to the road?
None of that's meant to suggest I know more than police have said or to make accusations. I read the same reports as everyone else; the problem is just that so far they have few real answers. Only time and careful investigation could say how and why this accident really happened, but it's important to take the time and care needed to find out. In the meantime the victim deserves the benefit of the doubt and all the help he can get.
