Victims identified from slick Sunday's fatal highway crashes
On Sunday evening, road conditions were less than ideal. The temperature was dropping as rain obscured visibility and created a hazardous roadway with slick conditions. There were several crashes, in addition to two separate rollover crashes, one of which led to the death of Riley Douglas Gilmore, just shy of his 32nd birthday.
Wet roads and high speed
Chief Christopher Selander of the Tye Police Department confirmed the identity of the victim in an interview on Monday with the Abilene Reporter News. His team had been called to the scene of the crash at around 5:40 p.m. Sunday night.
Selander stated that slick road conditions contributed to the crash. He also noted that Gilmore was likely driving too fast when he lost control of his vehicle on the highway. As a result, Gilmore's vehicle "rolled and flipped," and ended up on the opposite shoulder of the highway close to exit 279 on Business 20.
When Selander's team arrived on site, Gilmore was trapped inside. The team then used the jaws of life to open the roof of the vehicle, but unfortunately it was too late as Gilmore had already succumbed to his injuries. He was then taken to Abilene professional services following his removal from the vehicle.
Slick Sunday led to multiple crashes
Chief Selander noted that several other crashes occurred in and around Taylor County on Sunday afternoon leading into the night. There was a crash in Tye, in addition to a rollover in Trent, with all occupants surviving the crashes. Another crash in Merkel led to the occupant being ejected from the vehicle, but thankfully they also survived the crash.
Unfortunately, there was another fatality when an 18-wheeler truck rolled over yesterday just 13 miles west of Trent. The Department of Public Safety's (DPS) preliminary investigation revealed that the tractor trailer "failed to drive in a single lane and drove off the north side of the roadway. The driver then steered back to the south attempting to drive back onto the roadway" which caused the vehicle to eventually overturn.
The victim has been identified as Balra Singh, 27, from Redwood City, California. It was noted in the investigation that the victim was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Sergeant Marc Couch of DPS noted that “the weather conditions were a factor in this crash and are in most crashes when we experience wet roadways. Drivers are always urged to slow down, give more space between other traffic and increase stopping distances to make up for the decrease in traction on the roadway."
Chief Selander also emphasized that if drivers reduce their speeds, drive carefully and pay attention, most weather-related crashes are preventable.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Victims identified from slick Sunday's fatal highway crashes
