A major accident occurred on County Line Road Saturday night when a vehicle plunged into Caney Creek, killing a Montgomery woman and a Conroe man. The tragedy came just months after a fatal crash in the very same spot claimed the life of 70-year-old Walter David Springer of Willis on November 29.
A resident near the crash site Saturday night said he heard the screech of tires and looked out window in time to see brake lights go over the guardrail, and then he dialed 911.
At 8:49 p.m., MCHD medics arrived on the scene along with North Montgomery County Fire Department. They found a Toyota Mini-van approximately 30- feet below the road surface. Reaching the patients was difficult, and required North Montgomery County Fire Department’s ladder truck to assist.
When Springer’s Toyota pickup struck the guard rail, the roads were wet and the truck rode the guardrail for almost 75 feet before it dropped about 10 feet over the side striking one of the bridge’s pillars.
PHI Air Medical launched along with Life Flight. Soon after the dispatch, they were disregarded, because the female passenger was already deceased. The male driver was in critical condition and transported by ground ambulance to Hermann Hospital in The Woodlands. He passed away Sunday morning at 9:30a.m.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s on-scene investigators, it appears the 2003 Toyota van was westbound on County Line Road when the driver approached a curve just before Caney Creek. The vehicle left the roadway to the north side of the road and then appeared to have over corrected, skidding sideways and causing the right side of the van to strike the guard rail.
The vehicle became airborne and after about eighty-feet, crashed into the west bank of Caney Creek.
It appears the driver was wearing a seatbelt. However, the female was not, investigators said.
Judge Moriarty, Justice of the Peace in Precinct 1 pronounced the female dead and ordered the victim transported to Dallas County’s forensic center for autopsy.
Warren Diepraam, Assistant District Attorney for Montgomery County responded to assist in the investigation.
Wreckers were unable to retrieve the van. A Milstead heavy duty wrecker was called to the scene and raised the vehicle out of the creek and to the road surface,
The victims were later identified as Marji Carol Cercy, 51 of Montgomery, and 53-year-old Mark Byers of Conroe.
