By BRYNNA WILLIAMSON/Vice Editor-in-Chief
At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 31, police responded to reports of a car collision/vehicle fire at the corner of Old Omen and University Boulevard.
The head-on collision, which occurred just off the corner of the UT Tyler soccer fields, involved a gray Chevy Suburban and a black Nissan Versa. The SUV was holding an unnamed mother and her four young children, and the Versa held a single male.
According to a witness, the Versa was turning left and the Suburban was “coming straight through” when the collision happened. The Suburban then spun out of control and caught fire.
Police say the accident occurred because “someone failed to yield right of way to one of the other vehicles.”
According to the mother of the children,
“I didn’t know the car was on fire yet. It was just getting the kids out of it. And then we stepped back, then we saw it was on fire. [My first thought was], ‘Get the kids. Get the kids.'”
Jose Ramos, a UT Tyler student and soccer player who was practicing on the field with a full view of the wreck at the time, says,
“We looked up and it was just a huge fire.”
The driver of the Versa had been carried out of the car and lain on the ground to facilitate a possible back or neck injury. However, police assured reporters that everyone involved in the accident is fine:
“Everybody got out just fine. … everybody’s ok, no serious injuries,”
they said. Officer Russ of the Tyler police suggests that the accident looked scarier than it was.
Police and firefighters are cleaning the area and calling for wreckage crews to come pick up the cars. Until the wreckage is fully cleared, drivers are recommended to proceed with caution.
