CRANDALL, TX (03/09/2016) — Kenneth and Janice Lively suffered serious injures following a collision with a distracted driver who was allegedly texting while driving.
According to authorities, Kenneth Lively and Janice Lively were both injured after their pickup truck was struck by an SUV, causing it to plunge from the Highway 175 bridge over the East Fork Trinity River.
Crandall Police Department Lieutenant Smith stated that at around 9:30 a.m., the female driver of an SUV was texting and driving when she began to veer into oncoming lanes of traffic. As her vehicle drifted, she clipped the Lively’s pickup truck, forcing it to collide head-on with the guardrail.
The initial impact forced the truck over the guardrail, where it fell 20 feet and landed on its roof in the embankment below.
The Lively’s were both transported to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, via CareFlite and Acadian ground ambulances with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
It was reported that the driver of the SUV was cited by Crandall Police for texting and driving.
Commentary
Although it was reported that the at-fault driver was cited for texting and driving, Texas is unfortunately one of the 6 remaining states that has no law banning the dangerous practice. Over 60 cities in Texas have outlawed texting and driving or have enacted hands-free laws, but as far as I can tell, Crandall is not one of them. My guess is that the driver was actually cited for reckless driving or a similar offense.
If you ask me, texting and driving should ABSOLUTELY be illegal. Multiple studies have shown that distracted driving is responsible for over 50% of all car accidents. We urge our drivers to always maintain your eyes on the road, and to put down your phones while driving. Doing so may save your life or the lives of other drivers.
