PONDER, TX (06/24/2014) — A Tuesday afternoon accident on US 380 has claimed the life of Matthew Moreno, and hospitalized Barbara O’Briant and John Pollock.
The accident occurred on US Highway 380 between Smith Road and Ripy road at around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24th. According to the Texas Highway Patrol, 38-year-old Matthew Moreno was driving westbound in a GMC Sierra pickup truck when he failed to negotiate a curve in a construction zone. Moreno’s truck crossed into the eastbound lanes of oncoming traffic where he collided head-on with another pickup truck. According to witnesses, Moreno quickly attempted to get back into the westbound lanes but was not quick enough.
The driver of the other vehicle, a Dodge pickup truck, was identified as 77-year-old Barbara O’Briant (of Durant, OK). She and her passenger, 47-year-old John Pollock (of Santo), were both taken to Denton Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Both Moreno and O’Briant had to be extracted from their vehicles. Unfortunately, Matthew Moreno was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
The road construction on US 380 is a constant source of frustration for those who frequent that section of the highway. This event certainly brings up the issue of road construction and driver safety. I’m interested to see if an investigation reveals that recent lane changes caused by construction may have been a contributing factor in this car wreck. Even if not, I think most North Texas residents are more than frustrated with the prolonged construction taking place on this highway and the safety issues which come with it.
