Natavia Chiles Injured in Single-Vehicle Accident on Belt Line Rd in Carrollton, TX
Carrollton, TX — January 17, 2023, 21-year-old Natavia Chiles was seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident on Belt Line Road in Dallas County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 1:30 p.m. on East Belt Line near Perry Road in Carrollton. Preliminary investigation suggests Chiles was driving a Chevy Sonic west in the far right lane of Belt Line. Investigators allege she changed lanes to the left twice, then drifted left off the road and hit a tree in the median. Her car then overturned onto its roof and came to rest in the westbound roadway.
Chiles suffered serious injuries in the crash. No other injuries were reported.
No further information is currently available.
It's pretty scary to think how quickly and suddenly something can send a vehicle out of control. One minute you're just headed down the road somewhere and the next you're upside-down after you hit a tree, and no matter how responsible someone is a blown tire or icy road can easily take them by surprise.
With that said, in my experience people are often pretty quick to blame a single-vehicle wreck on some kind of avoidable driver mistake like watching a cell phone or (for the cynical) driving while impaired. It's true that statistically speaking those cause a great many solo crashes, but that doesn't mean they or anything else can be taken for granted. I've helped more than a few people over the years who were initially accused of driving drunk or sending texts, only for careful investigation and clear evidence to show they actually did nothing wrong.
That happens when authorities don't give crashes like this the full attention they deserve, so as they look for signs of a common explanation unusual or subtle details may slip through the cracks. I can't help but wonder if anything like that happened in Carrollton, and if so who'll find out what was missed.
