Barbara Huddleston Injured in Auto Accident on US-67 in Early, TX
Early, TX — November 29, 2022, 55-year-old Barbara Huddleston and two children were seriously injured in a crash with a commercial truck on US-67 in Brown County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 5:10 p.m. on US-67 (Early Boulevard) near County Road 292. Preliminary investigation suggests a Toyota Yaris was headed west on Early Blvd, allegedly traveling partly in the outside lane and partially on the shoulder. The car approached a construction crew doing roadwork on the shoulder and its front-right bumper collided with the rear-left of a trailer hitched to a Ram 3500 pickup at the work site. The Toyota driver told investigators sun glare made her unable to see the parked truck and trailer as she approached.
Huddleston and two children ages 5 and 6, all passengers in the Yaris, received serious injuries in the crash. The driver had minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.
No further information is currently available.
Driving toward a rising or setting sun is tricky business, and I have no reason to doubt the Yaris driver's word about what happened. However, that may not be the only factor to consider and there's another detail that caught my eye: Investigators mentioned the construction area was only identified by "minimal cones." Could better identification have helped prevent this wreck?
That's hard to say without further analysis, but I can't help but wonder if seeing or hitting cones from a greater distance would have helped the driver reorient back in the travel lanes. It's an example of something I mention a lot on this blog: Accidents are rarely as clear-cut as a few words in reports make them sound. It's always best to make sure the whole story is learned, as preliminary findings aren't always the final word--and sometimes someone should answer for their part in the harm done.
