Duranda Bird Killed, Roger Quinn Jr. Injured in Wrong-Way Crash on Bush Turnpike in Irving, TX
Irving, TX — November 18, 2022, 31-year-old Duranda Bird died and 32-year-old Roger Quinn Jr. was injured in a crash on President George Bush Turnpike in Irving.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:05 a.m. on Bush Turnpike near mile marker 985. Preliminary investigation suggests Bird was driving a Jeep Cherokee south on northbound Bush, against traffic, when she collided head-on with Quinn's northbound Dodge Ram pickup. After the impact both vehicles caught fire.
Bird did at the scene. Quinn suffered serious injuries and was transported to an area hospital.
Investigators believed that Bird may have been driving under the influence and collected blood samples for testing.
No further information is currently available.
First and foremost, I want to be very clear that I don't write about accidents like this to tarnish anyone's name or climb on a soapbox. Rather, as always I would stress the importance of investigating carefully and ensuring the whole story is found. The survivor in Irving deserves to know how and why he ended up in the hospital that night, and the family of the woman who lost her life might understandably have questions that so far don't seem to have answers.
To help them both it's important not only to consider other possible contributing factors (lighting and visibility, vehicle conditions, road markings and signage) but also to learn more about the events leading up to the crash. For instance, if investigators were correct and one person was impaired, then where did her alcohol come from? That detail is more important than it may seem, as any local business that over-served her past her limits may bear some responsibility for what followed.
All else aside, I think most would agree that the least the people struggling in the aftermath of this accident deserve is the whole truth of how it happened. I hope authorities will ensure they get it.
