Series of Massive Pile-Ups Across Texas Leave 9 Dead, More than 65 Hospitalized

Reports of Texas’ winter collisions on Thursday, February 11th, reached national news after more than 300 accidents were reported overnight in the Dallas area alone.

At least two massive pile-ups were reported with 236 major accidents caused by icy road conditions. Texans are being encouraged to stay home or drive with extreme caution.

CNN reported that more than 300 car accidents were addressed to Dallas authorities overnight last Thursday. This followed a day of rescue efforts after a series of massive pile-ups on freeways near cities across the state.

Prior to 6:30 a.m., the largest of Thursday’s collisions began. While initial reporting stated that 75 vehicles were involved, final counts show that 133 vehicles collided on Interstate 35 West in Fort Worth. The incident led to 6 deaths, 65 hospitalizations, and at least 4 police officers being injured. One of those officers was injured during the dangerous rescue effort in the slick wreckage of the crash scene.

Later that day in Dallas, 18 vehicles were involved in a major crash on Julius Schepps Freeway. At around 11:15 p.m., the vehicles began piling up, and a man was pinned against a retaining wall during the incident. One person died in this collision.

Within two hours and 3 miles of the 18-car pile-up, another wreck occurred when a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed down the same freeway lost control on the icy road and slammed into the median. The driver and one passenger were pronounced dead on the scene. A second passenger was hospitalized in critical condition.

Of the 300 crashes reported in Dallas, 236 were major accidents, 3 were major city equipment accidents, and the remaining 92 were minor incidents.

Unfortunately, some of the reports regarding these accidents suggest that at least some level of damage may have been avoidable. For instance, the New York Post published an interview with one of the victims of the Fort Worth pile-up, and she told them that she pressed her breaks all the way to the ground when she felt herself begin to slide.

While it’s difficult to know what to do in these situations, slamming on your breaks will likely reduce any control you have over your vehicle and contribute to a loss of traction. Simply put, your breaks might stop your tires from spinning, but they won’t stop them from sliding.

Other collisions reported on Thursday, Feb. 11th, involved vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed. There is virtually no excuse for speeding, especially under icy conditions. Doing so puts not only yourself but all other drivers on the road with you at risk.

The Houston car accident attorneys of Lapeze and Johns, PLLC, have a few tips on what not to do when driving in icy conditions. Be sure to keep these tips in mind when facing wintery roads, and share them with your friends and loved ones to help them stay safe, too.

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Source : CNN , New York Post

Series of Massive Pile-Ups Across Texas Leave 9 Dead, More than 65 Hospitalized

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