A 75-year-old Birthright woman was reportedly killed after being been struck by a vehicle on FM 71 west Friday afternoon, Sept. 30, 2022, while crossing the road, according to Texas Department of Public Safety reports.
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County 911 dispatchers received two emergency calls about the incident. At 3:13 p.m. Friday, a female reported a person had been hit by a car on FM 71 west at the school. Deputies, park officers and a school officer responded. At 3:14 p.m., dispatchers received a second 911 call about the crash.
According to preliminary Texas Department of Public Safety crash report compiled by Trooper Arturo Ugalde that was released Sunday night, a 75-year-old Sulphur Springs woman in a Ford Edge was traveling west on FM 71, 3 miles west of the Birthright community. The pedestrian failed to yield to the vehicle and crossed the road, walking to a mailbox when she was struck by the vehicle, DPS Sgt. Gregg Williams, Media Communications/Safety Education trooper for the Texarkana/Mount Pleasant-North Texas Region, reported Oct. 2. 2022.
Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace BJ Teer pronounced the 75-year-old pedestrian, identified Sunday night as Barbara Cockrum, at 3:15 p.m. Friday at the crash site.
Cockrum was a retired educator, having dedicated 35 years teaching English and computer science at North Hopkins ISD. She was active in the local chapter of the Daughter of the American Revolution and a member off the local retired school personnel organization.