The Department of Public Safety (DPS) is blaming distracted driving as the cause of a fatal accident last Friday just north of Anson.
And again, a cell phone is believed to be the distraction.
According to the DPS report, a driver, who survived the crash with only minor injuries, was reaching for his cell phone on the floorboard when he ran a stop sign and hit the side of a car whose driver was doing nothing more than driving like he was supposed to.
A passenger in the front seat of the second vehicle died as a result of the impact of the car driven by the distracted driver.
The DPS said the crash is still under investigation and charges have yet to be filed.
My guess is that the driver will be charged and two families have been deeply impacted by the tragedy.
Most every news release we get from the DPS involving fatal accidents mentions the danger of not wearing seatbelts, and distracted driving, such as texting.
Cell phones are great, but they have their place. And that place is not in the hands of a person driving a vehicle.
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And here are a couple of things I came across this week.
There was an ad in the Lubbock Avalanche Journal Sunday titled, “Wanted, Prairie Dogs.”
The guy who placed the ad apparently likes to shoot the little rodents.
Here’s the ad, “I am a retired physician looking for a landowner that would allow me to thin his prairie dog population next spring. I enjoy long range precision shooting with rifles that I personally build. I am also a ranch owner and would be respectful of your property and your wishes. I live in Fredericksburg and can drive up some time for a person visit if you wish.”
He’s probably going to get lots of calls because those rodents, while cute, can cause lots of problems.
Maybe the landowner whose prairie dog population he thins out would like a flock of nasty quackers to take their place.
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And if you’re a Sylvester Stallone fan, an opportunity is coming up to buy some of the items from those Rocky movies.
Heritage Auctions of Dallas will have a preview of the items tomorrow through Monday in Dallas.
The actual auction will be Dec. 18-20 in Los Angeles.
Among the items to be auctioned is the handwritten script from Rocky from 1975, and the boxing gloves from Rocky II along with the championship belt from both Rocky II and Rocky III.
These things won’t be cheap, of course, and a good indication is that the catalogue from the auction sells for $75.
And if the Heritage Auction name sounds a little familiar, it was the auction house that disposed of Jody Nelson’s big jewelry box.