By Asst. Chief Dalton Lee Gregory, Tarkington Volunteer Fire Department
The past week was a very busy one for Tarkington Firefighters, as they responded to three motor vehicle accidents, four brush fires, one of which also involved a structure, an oven fire, and numerous medical first responder calls.
The first accident occurred on Monday afternoon, January 25th and involved a white Chevrolet pickup occupied by two Tarkington High School students. The driver failed to negotiate a curve on FM2518 and left the roadway at a high rate of speed, causing the truck to flip multiple times. Luckily, both occupants were wearing seat belts and did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.
On Wednesday evening, another THS student was involved in an accident on SH321 in front of Cannon’s Grocery. According to the driver, the steering wheel of his red 4×4 locked up, causing the truck to go off the road before striking a tree and ending up on its side. Once again, due to the drive wearing his seat belt, he sustained only minor injuries.
The last accident occurred on Friday morning, again in front of Cannon’s Grocery as silver Chevrolet Cavalier clipped a black Cavalier in the rear, sending it into the ditch. Damage to the black Chevy was extensive, requiring firefighters to use the vehicle extrication tools to cut both driver and passenger from the mangled vehicle. The passenger was then flown by LifeFlight to a Houston-area trauma center with severe injuries.
Photos by Paul Gregory, Nathan Beck, and Kirsten Corley
