3 Injured in Wrong-Way Dallas Tollway Accident
Two 23-year-old women were seriously injured when a man who was driving the wrong way on the Dallas North Tollway crashed into their car early Sunday morning.
Ryan Matthew, 27, of Dallas was driving south in the northbound lanes of the Tollway for nearly 10 miles before colliding with the car carrying the two women. He started driving the wrong way at Cotton Gin Road up in Frisco.
Before crashing into the women, Matthew narrowly missed striking a police cruiser head-on. Shortly after, around 1:45 a.m. he slammed into Hannah Jung and Hannah Hong of Plano and Richardson. The car wreck happened near the exit for the George Bush Turnpike.
Matthew, Hong and Jung were all rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and treated for serious injuries. Hong was released, but Jung remained in the intensive-care unit and Matthew was in fair condition as of yesterday.
What caused Matthew to drive the wrong was is under investigation; it is unknown whether alcohol or drugs were a factor.
Strangely, three people called 9-1-1 between 11:16 and 11:22 p.m. Saturday night to report a separate driver going the wrong way on the Tollway. This motorist was driving the opposite direction as Matthews between Lovers Lane and Wycliff Avenue, but fortunately no accidents were reported and no one was caught.
Alarmingly, four people have been killed since April in wrong-way crashes on the 33-mile Dallas Tollway; I wrote about a man who worked for the Dallas Morning News who died driving the wrong way. Due to the astounding number of wrong-way incidences, there’s been a cry to do more to alert drivers of going the wrong way, instead of just posting signs on entrance and exit ramps. There’s even been talk of adding road spikes by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Whether these are drunk-driving related accidents, or due to confusion late at night, something needs to be done to prevent more from dying in these tragic crashes.
If you’ve been seriously injured in a vehicle-related wreck, please call the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation at 817-294-1900.
