TXDOT URGES DRIVERS TO “LOOK TWICE FOR MOTORCYCLES” TO HELP SAVE LIVES, PREVENT CRASHES
April 25, 2019
AUSTIN – As spring weather draws more motorcyclists onto roadways the risk of fatalities increases. Last year 417 motorcyclists died on Texas roadways, an average of more than one fatality a day. It’s a number the Texas Department of Transportation is working to reduce by asking motorists to be extra vigilant.
TxDOT is launching “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” – a campaign supporting National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in May. “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” urges drivers to be extra cautious, since motorcyclists are more difficult to see while on the road and are less protected than other motorists.
“Last year motorcycle fatalities were reduced by 17 %, which is a big step forward; still one death is too many for the Lone Star State,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. ”As motorcyclists hit the road to enjoy the open air and beautiful scenery, it’s important that vehicle drivers and motorcyclists remain alert and look out for each other on the road. We want everyone to enjoy what Texas offers and reach their destinations safely,”
One of the most common crashes between motorcyclists and drivers occurs when drivers make left turns at intersections, due to motorists’ difficulty judging the distance and speed of motorcycles. TxDOT cautions drivers to be extra vigilant when approaching, turning, or driving through an intersection, as 30% of Texas motorcycle deaths in 2018 were intersection-related.
A motorcyclist’s “braking” is not always obvious to motorists. Motorcycles decelerate faster than vehicles and motorcyclists can often downshift instead of applying the brake, especially when driving around a curve. This means at times brake lights will not be engaged to signal that the motorcycle is slowing down. It is important for motorists to allow for extra distance when they are behind motorcycles.
TxDOT is urging motorists to:
Look twice for motorcycles, especially at intersections.
Always assume motorcycles are closer than they appear to be, and avoid turning in front of an oncoming motorcycle.
Use turn signals and check blind spots before changing lanes.
Always maintain a safe following distance.
Give motorcyclists a full lane, especially when passing.
Obey posted speed limits.
This year’s “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign will conduct the following events featuring virtual reality games designed to educate drivers and motorcyclists about the importance of watching out for each other. Campaign tour stops include:
May 3 – El Paso
May 10 – Corpus Christi
May 11 – Houston (Sugar Land)
May 12 – Austin
May 17 – Dallas-Fort Worth (Frisco)
May 18 – Midland
May 19 – San Antonio
“Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a larger grassroots effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while on the road. Since November 8, 2000, at least one person has died on Texas roadways every single day, and that’s why #EndTheStreakTX asks all Texans to commit to helping end the streak of daily deaths on our roadways.
To learn more about the campaign, visit TxDOT’s website.
For media inquiries, contact TxDOT Media Relations at [email protected] or (512) 463-8700.
Information contained in this report represents reportable data collected from Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Reports (CR-3) received and processed by the Department as of March 15, 2019.
The Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining 80,000 miles of road and for supporting aviation, rail, and public transportation across the state. Through collaboration and leadership, we deliver a safe, reliable, and integrated transportation system that enables the movement of people and goods. Find out more at txdot.gov.
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Lady Cats Get Ten Run Rule Win over Whitehouse, Take 1-0 Lead in Bi-District Series
Lady Cats Softball 14, Whitehouse 4
The Lady Cats’ softball team overwhelmed Whitehouse, 14-4 at Whitehouse Thursday night, April 25, to take a 1-0 lead in their best two out of three bi-district series.
The Lady Cats scored multiple runs in every inning except one and they pounded out 15 hits. The Lady Cats scored two runs in the first, three more in the second and then five runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth.
Kelsey Wallace, Brinklee Driver and Sadie Stroud had three hit nights. Stroud was 3 for 4 with a run scored and three RBI’s. She also hit an inside the park home run. Wallace was 3 for 3 with four runs scored and two RBI’s. Driver was 3 for 4 with two RBI’s. Kate Womack was 2 for 3 with a run scored and two RBI’s. Nylah Lindley was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Alli Fite was 1 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Fite also hit a triple. Maddie Millsap was 1 for 3 with two runs scored. Millsap also had a double. Bailey Haggerty got the pitching win working five innings and allowing eight hits and four runs with three strikeouts and no walks.
The Lady Cats season record goes to 23-6. They can wrap up the series with a game two win at Lady Cat Park Friday night at 6:30 p.m. The winner of this series will face the winner of a Midlothian and Mesquite Poteet match up.
District Attorney, Clerk’s Offices Expected To Be Moved Into New Facilities By Mid-May
The Hopkins County building projects are expected to wrap up in May, with the district attorney and clerk’s offices moved into the new building on Rosemont Street by mid-May.
According to Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom, that should mean no June rental payment for use of the building space they currently occupy,
The commissioners were briefed by the new Civic Center management on operations at the facility during a work session this week.
“Things at the Civic Center seem to be going well under the new management, who are still learning and settling into their jobs,” Newsom reported.
County commissioners during this week’s work session also discussed an opportunity to apply for a Feral Hog Grant, a small amount of funding which could be used to help slow down the feral hog population in the county. This year, the state has a total of about $96,000 to disburse throughout the state, the judge explained.
Also discussed during the work session, the judge reported, was potentially modifying an economic development abatement agreement due to a change in the number of business employees that will be impacted. The matter is expected to be presented for court action at the regular May 6 Commissioners Court meeting.
The county discussed the possibility of participating in the Texas Association of Counties Risk Management Pool’s Employee Safety Program, which offers free equipment such as safety helmets, glasses and gloves. The items would benefit precinct road crews, which will help stretch each commissioners’ budget, according to Newsom.
The commissioners also reported the program of utilizing jail trusties for precinct work is going well.
Because of the disaster declaration issued for the county due to October’s floods and rains, an Affordable Housing project can be sought over the next year. If the program is approved, it could provide up to 40 homes to help people with lower incomes, according to the judge. An application is expected to be made for that as well.
Thursday Game Day: Lady Cats Bi-District Softball and Wildcats Golf
Lady Cats’ Softball
After a Wednesday, April 24 rain out, the Lady Cats’ softball team’s bi-district series is underway Thursday evening at Whitehouse.
The teams are playing a best two out of three series. Game one is at Whitehouse Thursday, starting at 6 p.m. Game two is at Lady Cat Park Friday at 6:30 p.m. Game three, if necessary, will be back in Whitehouse Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
The Lady Cats are district champs of District 15-5A and a number one seed. Whitehouse was fourth in their District 16-5A. The Lady Cats season record is 22-6.
The two teams last met in the playoffs in bi-district series back in 2015. The only ones with ties to that series are Lady Cats Head Coach David Carrillo and Assistant Coach Chris Valdovinos.
KSST Radio will bring you game one of the series from Whitehouse starting at 6 p.m. The game will also be videotaped for replay later on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
Wildcats Golf
Also on this Thursday game day, the Wildcats’ golf team will complete play at the Region II Golf Tournament at Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club.
The Wildcats battled through rain and mud to get in nine holes on day one Wednesday. They are scheduled for 27 grueling holes on this game day Thursday. Top golfers qualify for the State Tournament.
Wildcats Assistant Football Coach Jeremy Offutt Has Task of Building the Offensive Line
Wildcats Head Football Coach Greg Owens says a major part of spring football practice is developing the offensive and defensive lines.
Jeremy Offutt is responsible for putting together the Wildcats offensive line. It’s something he enjoys. He says he really likes it when people don’t think his linemen are going to be very good. He says that drives them.
There have been just a few spring workouts so far, but Coach Offutt likes what he’s seeing from his guys. He likes the competition and Coach Offutt says he thinks the guys could be really good up front this year.
They are young for the most part. Coach Offutt says he has four that will be seniors this fall and the rest will be juniors and sophomores.
He likes their mentality that makes them want to get after people. He says they take coaching and they listen. Coach Offutt says they want to find a way to win. He likes the fact that they are always asking him questions.
He says he works hard to notice his linemen when they do things well because he says he sure tends to notice if they foul something up.
Coach Offutt played offensive lineman in high school at North Lamar and in college at Oklahoma State. He was also briefly on an NFL roster. He says he really likes coaching high school kids.
2 Hopkins County Residents Recognized For Heroic Efforts in Fatal Cedar Hill Fire
Two Sulphur Springs residents were among the firefighters and police recognized Tuesday night by Cedar Hill City Council for their efforts to rescue four of the six people reportedly trapped Feb. 28 in a burning two-story home.
Cedar Hill Fire Department Capt. Rusty Brannon and Driver Jake Spataro received a Life Safety Award and Unit Citations for helping to pull four victims out of the fiery residence.
Brannon is quick to point out that they were not the only ones singled out for recognition. Several others who aided in the efforts were recognized; he and Spataro were both in charge of their apparatus, Spataro an engine and Brannon a quint, so they received additional recognition for leading their crews.
“Honestly, we were here that night. We were there to do a job, no different than every other fireman does,” Brannon said.
The CHFD captain said 911 dispatchers received a call from a woman who said she was trapped on the second floor of the building, and she couldn’t get out. Screams could reportedly be heard in the background and the woman reported six people in the house, including children.
Spataro had just made driver at Cedar Hill Fire Department about 2 months prior to the fire and was stepping up to ride the officer’s seat for the first time that shift, Brannon reported. Spataro arrived in the engine and Brannon, a Sulphur Springs resident with about 24 years experience in firefighting, arrived behind in the quint.
“As we arrived, two people were jumping out the second floor window. They said the kids were still inside,” Brannon recalled to KSST.
Brannon explained the police department had pulled at least one squad car up to the window. The man and woman jumped out the window. The woman landed on the window of the police car. The man and woman were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and transported the hospital, according to the CHFD captain.
“You have moments to go through it. It doesn’t set in until it was over. You don’t feel fear until after the fact,” Brannon said.
The firefighters mobilized and went into the home, which Brannon said had heavy fire at the back of it, to try to rescue the four other people inside.
“Jake pulled one out just inside the front door,” Brannon said.
Brannon said he lead a crew upstairs, guided by a thermal imaging camera, because it was so dark and the smoke was so heavy they were unable to see in front of them.
Three additional victims were also located inside the home. A 17-year-old was found near a door and a woman was found on the stairs and were carried from the burning structure, Brannon said.
“We were pretty exhausted by then. We went upstairs. It was high heat, dark, smoking,” Brannon said.
The crews had planned to conduct a search to the left of the structure upon arrival upstairs, but made a decision to go the other way
“God protected us. We did a right search, where someone is in contact with the wall. In the first bedroom was the 15-year-old by the door. We later found out, if we’d gone to the left, about a 20 feet a hole had burned through the floor on the left side. If we’d gone that way a firefighter would have gone through and fallen to the floor below. God looked after us,” Brannon said.
The victims pulled from the home by firefighters included a man, woman, 17-year-old and a 15-year-old. The 17-year-old was were transported to the hospital. CPR was administered in the front yard; the three others reportedly died at the scene. The 17-year-old died after about a month in the hospital. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, according to Brannon and news reports.
Brannon said the blaze made him appreciate the work firefighters in his hometown of Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County do. In Cedar Hill, firefighters have considerably more resources. When a call of that nature is dispatched, numerous trucks filled with trained on-duty firefighters are paid to respond.
“If this call happened in Sulphur Springs, there’d be a whole lot less. You don’t realize how blessed you are to have the support we have here. They do what they do for less and with less manpower. They are good guys for sure,” Brannon praised.
Cinco De Mayo Celebration Set for Saturday May 4 in City of Sulphur Springs
According to Oscar Aguilar, a committee has arranged for music, food and the flavor of Mexico to be enjoyed and celebrated in downtown Sulphur Springs on Saturday May 4, 2019 starting at 12 noon. At least one dozen musical acts will be entertaining throughout the local 12-hour Cinco de Mayo festival.
Man Served With Controlled Substance Warrants Allegedly Found In Possession Of Methamphetamine
Hopkins County Sheriff’s deputies went to serve Christopher Don Williams, 30, of Sulphur Springs with controlled substance warrants at his State Highway 11 residence and ended up adding an additional controlled substance offense to his list of charges.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Richard Greer and Reserve Deputy Mark Poindexter placed Williams under arrest on two warrants for manufacture or delivery of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance and one warrant for manufacture or delivery of less than 1 gram of Penalty Group 1 controlled substance.
While searching his clothing, Greer reported finding a crystal-like substance the deputies believed to be methamphetamine in a small plastic bag in the liner of Williams’ baseball cap, resulting in Williams being charged with possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, the deputies alleged in arrest reports.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Kelly Wiser and Investigator Wade Sheets also were credited in sheriff’s reports with responding at the location.
Williams remained in Hopkins County jail late Thursday morning, April 25. Bond was set at $20,000 on the two manufacture or delivery of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a controlled substance charges, $15,000 on the other manufacture or delivery charge and $15,000 on the possession charge, according to jail reports.
Truck Driver Accused of Stealing Company Vehicle After Being Fired
A Florida truck driver was arrested Wednesday afternoon for allegedly stealing a vehicle belonging to the company from which he’d just been fired.
Jonis Ales Sendra, 36, of New Port Richey, Florida was taken into custody by Hopkins County Sheriff’s Sgt. Shea Shaw and Deputy Kevin Lester at 5:43 p.m. April 24 on the north service road for unauthorized use of a vehicle.
According to sheriff’s reports, the incident reportedly began with Deputies Tanner Steward, Kevin Lester and Sgt. Shea Shaw being dispatched at 5:28 p.m. Wednesday to an Interstate 30 west trucking business in Brashear to a disturbance; an ex-employee was reported to be causing a ruckus and being combative. The complainant told dispatchers Sendra, a disgruntled employee who had just been terminated, was the aggressor in the disturbance, deputies wrote in arrest reports.
While en route to the trucking business, deputies were told the man had just stolen one of the company’s commercial vehicles, a white Volvo with a missing front bumper, according to the arrest report.
Deputies reported seeing a man driving a vehicle matching that description on the north Interstate 30 service road and detained him. When asked why he stole the vehicle, the driver identified as Sendra , told them he didn’t steal it, that he “was not going to be treated like a dog and was not going to be left on the side of the road, ” deputies alleged in arrest reports.
A deputy at the roadside conferred with officers at the trucking business. The deputies were reportedly told by company representatives the man had been fired, but was offered a ride to the bus station. The ex-employee allegedly became irate and was asked by company representatives to remove his items from the vehicle, deputies wrote in arrest reports.
The company representatives reportedly told deputies the man did not have permission to have the vehicle he was driving, and attempts had been made to stop him from leaving in it.
The man was taken into custody for unauthorized use of a vehicle. When a deputy checked the vehicle, he reported a GPS-style device in it was “attempting to notify the driver his travel was not authorized and to stop the vehicle.”
Jonis Sendra remained in Hopkins County jail Thursday morning. His bond was set at $10,000 on the unauthorized use of a vehicle charge, according to jail reports.
