topic Re: Horrible Accident in Community Chat

Horrible Accident

Kachina624 — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 18:24:18 GMT

Nine people died in a fiery, head-on collision in West Texas, including six students and a coach from a New Mexico university who were returning home from a golf tournament, authorities said.

A pickup truck crossed the center line of a two-lane road in Andrews County, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of the New Mexico state line on Tuesday evening and crashed into a van carrying members of the University of the Southwest men's and women's golf teams, said Sgt. Steven Blanco of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Six students and a faculty member were killed in the crash along with the driver and a passenger in the pickup truck, Blanco said. Two students were taken in critical condition by helicopter to a hospital in Lubbock, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) to the northeast.

The National Transportation Safety Board will send a 12-member "go team" to the crash site, including experts in human performance, vehicle and motor carrier factors and accident reconstruction, agency spokesman Eric Weiss said. The team is expected to arrive late Wednesday afternoon or early evening, he said.

"We'll try to find out not only what happened, but why it happened, so we can possibly prevent things like this from happening in the future," he said.

The University of the Southwest is a private, Christian college located in Hobbs, New Mexico, near the state's border with Texas.

This happened on a secondary road, flat as a pancake, without a curve in it, out in the middle of nowhere, Northwest of Midland, Tx. I used to travel it often. People typically drive 70-80mph so these vehicles must have had a terrific impact. So sad to see so many die so young.

Re: Horrible Accident

Carolina925 — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 18:40:55 GMT

Horrible accidents like these just hurt my heart. I have a 16 year old nephew who goes away to school and I find myself worrying more and more about his safety and the terrible things that can happen. I know I shouldn't worry and I do believe that worrying is not what I should be doing...just can't help myself. May they rest in peace and may their families and friends find peace.

Re: Horrible Accident

Patriot3 — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 18:47:36 GMT

This is just unbelievable! Prayers for their families!!

Re: Horrible Accident

maximillian — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 18:50:47 GMT

Nine people dead, totaled up.. So sad, especially for the young people-probably good kids-student athletes. Really though, my heart aches for family and friends of all the victims of this tragedy. Every once-in-a-while I think about the "randomness" of life; this is an example of that idea.

Re: Horrible Accident

spiderw — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 18:55:50 GMT

Speeding on any road, highway, street is dangerous. How very sad for the families of those who died, the heartache they will endure, the pain of grief. Such a terrible tragedy.

May those who have passed be at peace with God and may the families going through this loss find the strength to get through it.

Re: Horrible Accident

HonestLife — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:03:07 GMT

@Kachina624 Wow how awful! I hope the community wrap's their arms around the numerous loved ones who are hurting. Maybe this will wake the area up to changing something.

Re: Horrible Accident

FiddleDeeDee — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:07:49 GMT

The moment I hear about accidents such as this (no bad weather, flat ground, etc), my FIRST thought is booze, followed by texting.

I wish peace for all those families. So sad.

Re: Horrible Accident

Enufstuff — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:08:59 GMT

How terrible! From watching the news, it seems that the highway accidents are worse than ever. So sad for all those families.

Re: Horrible Accident

Kachina624 — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:09:54 GMT

@spiderw When you're out in the wide-open spaces, there are typically very high speed limits. Although straight and flat, this road is very dangerous due to its heavy use by big trucks servicing the many oil wells in the area.

Re: Horrible Accident

deepwaterdotter — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:06:11 GMT

Glad to read that the NTSB is investigating what caused this tragedy. Anything that can be done to prevent accidents like this from happening again will help. May God rest their souls.

Re: Horrible Accident

Puppy Lips — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:11:55 GMT

When my DIL was in high school, there was a bus accident that she was involved in. A young woman on her soccer team died. There may have been others too.

The young woman's mom took all of this girl's soccer T-shirts and made quilts for her closest teammates. My DIL has it folded up in a closet. Of course I don't think she will ever use it for anything.

And when my son and she got married last May, the Mom, who could not attend, sent her a little locket with the girl's photo in it that my DIL put in with her bouquet. It was kind of a sad moment on that happy day.

I think vehicle accidents are the saddest way to lose someone because they are so sudden and mostly avoidable.

Re: Horrible Accident

Kachina624 — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:16:29 GMT

@FiddleDeeDee wrote:
The moment I hear about accidents such as this (no bad weather, flat ground, etc), my FIRST thought is booze, followed by texting.

I wish peace for all those families. So sad.

@FiddleDeeDee It was at night so the pick up driver could have fallen asleep, but yes, booze crossed my mind too. A driver doesn't usually fall asleep when he has someone to talk to plus it wasn't late at night.

Re: Horrible Accident

On It — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:24:38 GMT

I think the vastness of these wide open areas is difficult to comprehend unless you have seen them. In Texas most speed limits on highways are 75. Some sections of I-10 are 80.

Having driven these flat open roads to seemingly nowhere, I can easily believe the driver fell asleep and drifted into the path of the oncoming vehicle. Boredom behind the wheel is a problem in these desolate places.

It is a horrible tragedy for family, friends, and this small university.

Re: Horrible Accident

Spurt — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:25:37 GMT

@Kachina624

I saw this story this morning in our local online paper---so very sad....Condolences and prayers to family/friends 😥

Re: Horrible Accident

Kachina624 — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:46:37 GMT

@On It Do you live near Midland? Yes, there's a whole lot of nothing out there....America's Outback, I used to call it. I lived there 7 years. I liked it there.

Re: Horrible Accident

Cali Bag Lady — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:00:32 GMT

What a horrible, horrible accident. So tragic. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families as well as the community.

Re: Horrible Accident

ECBG — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:28:32 GMT

Oh my goodness, such a terrible situation. I am so very sorry for all of those concerned as well as their families and friends, whom I will certainly pray for.

Re: Horrible Accident

Sooner — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:40:58 GMT

Now days I think texting before alcohol. It is so so common. And so so dangerous.

Re: Horrible Accident

meallen616 — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 20:44:33 GMT

Re: Horrible Accident

hckynutjohn — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 22:09:37 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
@spiderw When you're out in the wide-open spaces, there are typically very high speed limits. Although straight and flat, this road is very dangerous due to its heavy use by big trucks servicing the many oil wells in the area.

@Kachina624

I have no idea what the speed limit is on this specific road. Most 2-lane highways I have driven on, have lower speed limits than Interstates, or 4 or more lane highways.

Old people like me learned to drive on 2 lane highways, as there were very few multi-lane highways in the states. Driving and towing race cars did not allow you to drift out of your assigned lane. If you did? I doubt you would just hear someone blowing their horn. Oh, to be that lucky.

It is so sad to see these wrecks happen. I refrain from calling them an "accident", this one specifically, because a driver crossed into the oncoming lane. To me those are not "accidents", regardless of how much traffic, trucks or otherwise, use the road.

Condolences to the families of those that died. Was the "at fault" driver one of the dead?

hckynut 🇺🇸