A multi-car accident Tuesday on U.S. 59 southbound at Daily Road was caused by a driver who stopped to let a school bus enter the freeway. According to police, the vehicles traveling behind that vehicle were able to stop, but an 18-wheeler was not.
Juan Diaz, the driver of the 18-wheeler was unable to stop and rear-ended a Honda SUV driven by Cynthia Priestmeyer, 49 of El Campo. Priestmeyer then rear-ended a 2009 Acura SUV driven Thinh Nguyen, 38, of Laredo. Nguyen then hit a 2000 model passenger car Toyota driven by Roberto Gonzalez, 48, of Richmond.
The vehicle that stopped to allow the bus onto the roadway was not involved in the accident and was gone before police arrived. U.S. 59 south bound was closed between Spur 10 and Daily Road for approximately 30 minutes while officers managed the accident. Diaz was cited for failure to control speed. Priestmeyer was taken to Oak Bend Medical Center and released.
TXDOT should review that stretch of 59 and get on it. You can’t control someone stupidly stopping on a freeway to yeild to traffic entering the highway but you can provide adequate entry and exit lanes when it is needed. I know money is tight but this is exactly what the governemnt does is design and build roads. You have to build in a margin of error for dumb individuals, sadly but you really have to because vehicles are traveling at rates of speed that cannot adjust for an error like this. That being said, trucks have to slow down, they cannot stop as fast as a car. Most trucks I see on 59 are hauling faster than I am and that is a recipe for disaster, just like this case.