Dangerous Weekend – 2 Deaths, a Close Call in DFW

Friday – One Diner Killed at Anna Pizzeria

Friday afternoon an elderly woman was eating pizza with her daughter and adult grandson at Mama Mia’s Pizzeria in Colin County’s town of Anna. The elderly woman was killed by another senior who mistakenly drove into the restaurant. The elderly driver was pulling out of a parking space near her beauty salon when another car honked. Instead of breaking, the senior hit the accelerator. After first hitting a van in the parking lot, the negligent elderly driver plowed into the restaurant. The daughter and adult grandson of the deceased were also injured in the accident and were hospitalized. The driver and survivors are expected to recover from their injuries.

This is not the first incident where an elderly driver has driven into a restaurant or store by mistakenly hitting the accelerator instead of the brake. Don’t wait until your elderly loved one get into a fatal car accident, if you have doubts about the driving capabilities of a senior family member start discussing alternative transportation options now. If you’re looking for guidance check out AARP’s “When Should You Take Away the Keys?” article.

Saturday – Man with History of Drinking Nearly Runs Over Paramedic

Ernesto Rodriguez, 27, already has a lengthy history of drunk driving including convictions in 2008 and 2011. This past Saturday around 9:40pm Rodriguez was found by Dallas Fire-Rescue passed out inside a dark green Toyota Camry on a street in Pleasant Grove. You would think that at this point Rodriguez would know that his luck had run out, and that he would simply cooperate. You’d be wrong.

Rodriguez instead chucked a beer bottle out of his car into a nearby yard after waking up. Dallas-Fire Rescue wisely removed Rodriguez’s keys from the car, but taking his keys was not enough. He started his car using an “unidentified tool” and fled the scene. Kim Tae, paramedic with Dallas-Fire Rescue, had to jump out of the way to avoid being run over.

The police chased Rodriguez, but were not able to stop him before he hurt someone else. He smashed into a red Ford Mustang that was making a left turn from South Buckner Boulevard onto Military Parkway. The driver of the Mustang, 49 year-old Luis Hernandez, was hospitalized with injuries including what the DallasCrimbeBlog described as “severe face swelling.”

Rodriguez is facing several charges including aggravated assault against a public servant for nearly running over Kim Tae. With these new charges, with any luck, Rodriguez will be off the streets for good this time. A drunk driver willing to run over rescue workers, start his car with his keys, and harm others on the road is not fit to be driving anywhere.

Sunday Morning – Woman killed in Hit-and-Run

Early Sunday morning around 3 am the body of a Fort Worth woman was found along I-30. The victim, 28-year-old Ladrieka Waggoner, was hit by a car that fled the scene after the accident. A police officer had seen a black 2008 Jeep Wrangler swerving on I-30 near the Beach Street exit several hours before, and the officer took the precaution of recording the Jeep’s license plate. When Waggoner was discovered, the police used the license plate number to track down driver Jeffrey J. Holland, age 36. Holland is now being held on charges of accident involving serious bodily injury or death.

So far investigators have not explained why Waggoner was walking by the highway at the time or if Holland was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. Tracking down Holland as quickly as police did was an example of how new technology his helping to quickly catch suspects.  With so many hit-and-run accidents in the DFW area over the last few months, it’s comforting to see the police using tools that can help track down people who leave the site of an accident after someone has been injured or killed.