WACO, TX (03/11/2017) — 4-year-old Brynleigh Higginbotham has been identified as the victim of a fatal pileup accident that occurred on Interstate 35 Saturday afternoon.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, traffic on I-35 in Elm Mott, Texas (north of Waco) had stalled due to a car accident at around 4:00 p.m., leading to several subsequent crashes in the southbound lanes. A recreational vehicle (RV) towing a vehicle reportedly struck a total of five vehicles stopped on southbound I-35 near FM 308 / mile marker 343, including a silver Kia Sorento SUV carrying four members of the Higginbotham family (of Carrollton, TX).
The Kia suffered catastrophic damage, and 4-year-old Brynleigh Higginbotham was tragically killed in the collision. A second child riding in the Kia, 8-year-old Kasen Higginbotham, was transported to an area hospital in stable condition. 31-year-old Daniel Higginbotham and 30-year-old Cassandra Higginbotham were both transported to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center, where they remain in serious but stable condition. Ten others were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Commentary
While this crash did occur during wet conditions, a crash like this cannot simply be blamed on weather. Large vehicles—especially those towing another vehicle—take much longer to stop than normal passenger cars, but this is common knowledge. Police are still conducting their investigation into the facts of the accident, but the fact pattern available strongly suggests that the operator of the motorhome simply failed to keep a safe following distance.
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