Kelly Dawn Garriott Killed in Truck Accident in Hood County, TX
Hood County, TX -- January 24, 2023, Kelly Dawn Garriott was killed due to an accident where a pickup and a semi-truck collided.
Investigators said that the incident happened along Highway 171 approaching the intersection of Hughie Long Road at around 6:00 a.m.
Details suggest that 60-year-old Kelly Dawn Garriott was in a Ford F-150 traveling southeast along Highway 171. A semi-truck was in the northwest lanes. As the vehicles approached each other, the pickup apparently lost traction going over railroad tracks, then crashed into the oncoming semi. This sent the semi-truck off-road where it overturned onto its side.
Garriott sustained fatal injuries due to the collision. The truck driver was said to have non-incapacitating injuries. While the cause of the crash was not officially confirmed, certain details provided about the railroad crossing involved in the crash are more than concerning.
Details from the authorities described the railroad crossing as "extremely uneven," and that drivers would have to go "well below" speeds suggested by warning signs in the area to make it across safely. The most recent images I can find of the crossing aren't really clear enough to confirm this, but I wouldn't exactly describe what I've seen as neat and orderly, either.
So was the condition of this crossing responsible for this crash? Have locals expressed concerns about the condition of the roadway here? Does there need to be more signage or lighting? If the uneven and possibly insufficiently marked crossing is clear enough for officers to catch at an accident scene, surely others have noticed the issues, as well. As relatively uncommon as road defects may be in deadly truck accidents, this situation could end up being an example of why I always tell folks not to rule out that sort of thing until the evidence is clear. What will the evidence show about this crash?
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