One Seriously Injured in Crash on S Georgia Street in Amarillo, TX
Amarillo, TX — December 22, 2022, a 34-year-old man was seriously injured in a traffic accident on South Georgia Street in Amarillo.
Authorities say the incident happened around 11:55 p.m. on South Georgia at Civic Circle. Preliminary investigation suggests a Mazda 3 sedan was headed south on Georgia and approached the Civic Circle intersection. Investigators allege the driver may have been racing another vehicle at high speeds when he disregarded the intersection's red light and crashed into an eastbound Chevrolet van.
The Mazda driver was seriously injured in the collision. The van driver, 33-year-old Justin Collins, reportedly received possible injuries.
Investigators alleged alcohol consumption may have been a factor in the wreck.
No further information is currently available.
People often regard preliminary reports as the final word on an accident, but that's rarely true. They may provide a general understanding of events, but officers at the scene rarely take the time or care needed to learn all a crash's details and its full context.
That actually comes up a lot after accidents that allegedly involve alcohol. In those situations both the public and the authorities can be a little too quick to put everything on the driver. That's not to suggest drunk driving is anything but a mistake, but there could also be more to the story. For instance, in many cases it turns out the driver—who much of the time is also the injured victim—was illegally over-served by a local business before their accident. That's not the case every time, but when it is those businesses should get a harsh lesson about obey the law and not endangering their customers.
To be clear, I'm not accusing any Amarillo businesses of being involved in this wreck. I just know from long experience that when blood tests confirm intoxication the alcohol's source should also be identified. A man was seriously injured here, and that seems like more than enough reason to find out everything possible about his accident. I hope that's exactly what authorities will do.
