New Waverly Fire and EMS units were dispatched at 6:23 Monday evening, marking the first of a series of accidents near the Montgomery / Walker County line. This stretch of freeway saw 6 separate accidents under similar circumstances last Saturday evening, and as darkness fell and the rain began to fall, the accidents began again.
Most of the accidents occurred at the point where 3 lanes in Montgomery County merged into 2 at the Walker County line. The first accident involved 3 cars and an 18 wheeler, with some of the vehicles coming to rest in the median and others in the ditch off the freeway.
Although there were no injuries, DPS Troopers quickly realized the danger of additional accidents as other drivers sped through the accident scene. They requested assistance in setting up a temporary traffic control (TTC) zone and New Waverly Firefighters responded with two fire engines, positioning them to protect the accident victims and emergency personnel working to clear the freeway.
While setting up the TTC zone, Firefighters encountered an 18 wheeler stopped on the freeway that was beginning to catch fire. One of the New Waverly Engine crews quickly extinguished the fire and escorted the damaged vehicle to the nearby Weigh Station, in an effort to keep traffic moving and avoid secondary collisions as drivers continued to approach the accident scene at freeway speeds in the driving rain.
Secondary accidents occur on average in 1 of every 5 freeway accidents and are responsible for hundreds of deaths and injuries to emergency personnel each year. Traffic accidents are the number 1 cause of death for Law Enforcement and EMS according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Tow Truck operators are amongst the most vulnerable. National statistics reveal that approximately every 6 days, a Tow Truck operator is struck and killed while assisting motorists.
Numerous DPS Troopers have been struck, injured and killed as well working on Texas highways, including a recent incident which took the life of Senior Trooper Thomas Nipper on I-35 in Temple. Trooper Nipper was sitting in his patrol vehicle when it was struck from behind by a passing motorist.
State law requires that motorists vacate the lane nearest a stopped emergency vehicle if possible, and if not possible, motorists must slow down to at least 20 mph below the posted speed limit. While these are maximum speed limits, drivers should always reduce speed during inclement weather or when approaching emergency vehicles or construction zones.
The “move over” law applies to all emergency responders, including tow trucks, and highway work vehicles that are stopped and displaying their emergency lighting. In addition, fines can be doubled in construction zones and drivers can be cited for driving at unsafe speeds, regardless of posted maximum speed limits.