23-Year-Old Temple Woman Dead In Fatal Crash On Old Highway 95
LITTLE RIVER-ACADEMY – On Thursday, 23-year-old Miranda Ortiz died in a two-vehicle deadly accident that happened on Old Highway 95, north of Little River-Academy at around 7:35 a.m.
Ortiz was not alone in her vehicle. She was driving a Toyota Yaris, going southbound on the highway when she went off the roadway to its right and then turned back to its left. As a result, the Toyota crossed over the center stripe, coming in the way of an oncoming Jeep. The Yaris was hit on the right side by the jeep.
Dark, swerving tire tracks present on the road after the accident showed the path Ortiz’s vehicle took before colliding with the Jeep.
To investigate the accident, 4 DPS troopers took measurements.
A 16-month old girl was travelling with her in a car seat and they both were wearing a seatbelt. Ortiz sustained life-threatening injuries due to which she died on the accident spot, but the baby didn’t sustain serious injuries and was rushed to McLane Children’s Hospital.
2 individuals were travelling in the jeep, one man and s a woman, who didn’t sustain severe injuries. They were rushed to Baylor Scott and White for the treatment of minor injuries.
No individual was charged in the accident.
It is not the first time that an accident happened on Highway 95. It is a narrow road with no shoulders and the surface of the road is lumpy. The speed limit is 60 mph, which is fast according to most of the drivers because the road is uneven.
In March 2016, 25-year-old Travis Mireles died near the intersection of Highway 93, which was near the accident that happened on Thursday. An online petition was started by his family members to get TxDOT for alteration in the intersection. The number of signatures that is required for TxDOT to consider an alteration is between 2,000 and 3,000, however, they have received 1,632 signatures till now.
According to the family of Mireles, flashing stop signs are present on old 95, but there are no signs to alert drivers on 93.
Mireles’ best friend, Summer Campbell said that there is danger on 93. “There’s a blind spot at Highway 93, you can’t exactly see the intersection when you’re on 93, so we’re just trying to make it safer and let Travis be the last one that had to lose his life here.”
TxDOT records showed that there have been 18 deadly crashes at that intersection since 2010.
News Source: www.KCENTV.com
