Teen Driver Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash on CR 2249 in San Patricio County, TX
San Patricio County, TX — December 16, 2022, a 17-year-old driver was killed in a single-vehicle accident on County Road 2249 in San Patricio County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 4:40 p.m. on CR 2249 near State Highway 188. Preliminary investigation suggests the victim was driving a Dodge Dakota pickup truck north on the roadwaywhen he allegedly lost control. The pickup ran off the west side of the road into the west bar ditch, then crashed into a concrete culvert and came to rest.
The young driver suffered fatal injuries in the accident.
No further information is currently available.
One might expect a significant amount of press coverage for a young man meeting such a sad end, but I encountered only one news report about his accident. Why did it not receive more attention? Well, I have a theory—but it involves the unfortunate way many people, even reporters, are much too quick to write off a single-vehicle accident as somehow being the driver's fault.
I've lost count of how many times I've seen that kind of presumptuous dismissal, but it wholly ignores how many possible explanations there really are for wrecks like this. Some might be within a driver's control, but many others are decidedly not. For instance, did anyone find out if the pickup was in good repair? Was that stretch of road wet, uneven, or otherwise hazardous? Could another vehicle have run the victim off the road but left the scene? Could he have been incapacitated somehow?
Circumstances like those cause crashes every day but are too often overlooked. A young man lost his life here, though, and that's more than enough reason to pay close attention and ensure his loved ones get the whole story. I hope what authorities can eventually tell them will satisfy any remaining questions they might have.
