Street-racing is a popular past-time with teens, but with two deaths from street-racing in Dallas during the past months, the fun is over. A 43-year-old father was killed over New Year’s when his pickup was struck by a Suburban that police say was racing another car. The Dallas resident was rushed to the hospital, but died of his injuries after the Sunday afternoon accident.
He was on his way home from DFW Airport, where he worked as a janitor. He was just minutes from home, where he was going to spend New Year’s Day with his family. Police say the victim was making a left turn in the 4600 block of Westmoreland near Chalk Hill Road when the speeding Suburban crashed into him. The driver of the SUV was taken to the hospital, but not seriously hurt.Witnesses say the second vehicle that was racing the SUV took off.
In the November 2011 street-racing incident on Northwest Highway both 16-year old racers were in BMWs. And one was killed. Dallas police are urging parents to not give their children high performance cars, but instead a simple, safe vehicle.
The Insurance Institute of Highway states that “problem speeders” average 60% more crashes a year. An average of 135 people in the US die each year in street drag racing accidents — and 51 out of every 1000 racers get hurt.
Tracking illegal street racing is complex since many cases are prosecuted under reckless driving or speeding statutes. This also makes finding appropriate restraints tricky since a citation for many racers is seen as just another part of the game.
If you have been affected by a street racing incident, contact Crowe Arnold & Majors, LLP today.
