Teacher Dies in Tragic Car Wreck

An Austin teacher died in a car wreck on Texas 29, according to reports in the Statesman. The teacher was 54 years old and taught English in the public school system.

The accident occurred in the early morning hours. The woman was driving west in a Ford Taurus. As she was turning left, another west-bound car struck her. She was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the injury. The driver of the car that struck her was brought to the hospital and was in stable condition at the time of the report.

Common types of accidents.

Being struck by a vehicle heading in the same direction is a fairly common occurrence. The way that this accident unfolded, working from the report, is also not unusual. When a car stops to make a left turn, it oftentimes has to linger in the path of traffic for some time while the driver waits for an opening in oncoming traffic. This opens up the possibility of two common types of accidents.
The first type, which took the woman’s life, is being struck from traffic in your own lane. The traffic behind you, if it fails to stop or slow soon enough to avoid a collision, can end up hitting the turning vehicle at a very high rate of speed, causing grievous injuries and death.
The second type of accident occurs when the driver of the vehicle making the cross-traffic turn actually proceeds to initiate that turn. If they misjudge the speed of oncoming traffic, they may well end up being struck by an oncoming car. This type of accident is very common. A speeder among the oncoming traffic is sometimes at fault because they were coming too fast or the driver making the turn might be at fault if they misjudge the speed of the cars coming at them. Motorcyclists who are among the oncoming traffic oftentimes perish in these accidents, slamming into a turning vehicle at speed and being thrown from their vehicles onto the pavement.
When you see vehicles waiting to turn, assume that they’re not going to be able to move before you get to them and slow down. Even if they start to initiate a turn, they may have to stop due to a car coming toward them faster than they thought or a pedestrian in the crosswalk on the road onto which they’re turning.
If you’re rear-ended by a negligent driver, call a Dallas accident lawyer.