One Injured in Crash at Georgia Street and Civic Circle in Amarillo, TX
Amarillo, TX — December 22, 2022, a 34-year-old man was seriously injured in an auto accident on Georgia Street in Amarillo.
Authorities say the incident happened around 11:55 p.m. on South Georgia at Civic Circle. Preliminary investigation suggests the victim was driving a Mazda 3 sedan south on Georgia, possibly racing another vehicle according to investigators, when the driver allegedly ran the red light at Civic Circle and crashed into an eastbound Chevrolet van.
The Mazda driver was seriously injured in the collision. The van driver, 33-year-old Justin Collins, received possible injuries.
Investigators alleged the southbound driver may have been intoxicated and collected blood samples for testing.
No further information is currently available.
People don't always realize that what they see in preliminary reports isn't always the whole story. Police piece together the basics at the scene (and sometimes fill in the blanks with a few plausible guesses), but as they work on that they sometimes overlook critical details that could better or more fully explain what happened.
Take the Amarillo crash above: Reports show a pretty simple story of a speeding driver running a light, but are investigators absolutely sure there's nothing else to know? Because I'm not. If he was speeding or racing another vehicle, why? Was it just for thrills, or could investigators have been onto something when they mentioned intoxication? Even that might be more complex than it seems, because if alcohol played a part then a local bar or other business might be partly responsible for both drivers' injuries.
I'm not suggesting I know more than reports convey, just that they don't currently say enough. As always, it's important that a full investigation be conducted and the whole story is learned. Anyone hurt in a crash deserves to know that kind of care was exercised, and depending on what's learned there may even be further steps to take on their behalf. I just hope authorities are working to find real answers for the folks who need them.
