Crash Claims Life
Fire chief, TxDOT disagree on FM 344
By Lori Mellinger editor@bullardnews.com

Above, DPS officers begin figuring wreck reconstruction on Tuesday morning after a collision claimed the life of Bullard High School student James Compton. Below, emergency vehicles line FM 344 controlling traffic following the wreck. -- Bullard Banner photos by Lori Mellinger

Thirty-seven calls in that exact location.

Fifty-four total within a mile, and all within a year.

That's information Bullard Fire Chief Keith Newburn dug up for wrecks on FM 344.

"And if opened it to the entire 6-mile stretch between Bullard and Teaselville, it shoots to 71 with at least two fatalities in 2 1/2 years," he said.

"Something has to be done about it."

And when his son was involved in the wreck that killed James Compton, Newburn's stance was even more firm.

"I told one of the crew chiefs that they (TxDOT) they needed to fix this road; it's unsafe," he said.

Newburn, when the call came in last Tuesday, was initially under the impression that his son, Gary, was not involved but working the scene. Gary is a volunteer for Bullard's VFD as well.

"I was on my way to work," Newburn said. "And I heard him on the radio."

Apparently although injured in the collision, Gary was still trying to render aid to 16-year-old James Compton, who died in the wreck.

It took about 30 minutes for it to sink in.

"I just thought he was on his way to work in Noonday and was one of the first responders," Newburn said. Gary sustained injuries and will have to have some teeth replaced, but he was treated and released the same day from ETMC-Tyler.

"We were fortunate," Newburn said.

But TxDOT has a different take on the road. While officials said it's scheduled for maintenance, a lot of what happens is just a driving factor.

"We can study the engineering on every road for safety, but when it comes down to it, it's still a 50-50 proposition, " said TxDOT Public Information Officer Larry Krantz. "Speed limits are posted for a reason."

But Newburn said speed isn't the problem.

"Get on the road when it's the least bit wet," he said. "We have, and we see an increase in wrecks when there's even the least bit of moisture on the road."

Newburn said that was a factor when an ambulance was totaled on Feb. 21, 2007, responding to a wreck scene.

The posted speed limit on the road is 55 mph.

Krantz said 344 - as with all TxDOT-maintained roads - has been studied for mobility.

"Wrecks are an unfortunate part of life," he said. "Certainly we'd like to be able to do all the safety engineering we can to make roads completely safe, but the driving is still the biggest factor."

He does, however, sympathize with the family.

"That said, we'll take a look - as we always do - and see if there's something we can do," Krantz said. "And our hearts certainly go out to the family of James."

Meanwhile, there has been work scheduled at the site of the collision.

"The road has not been seal coated in the past three years, but we've worked with areas where wrecks occurred more frequently," he said. "And we are aware of this area."

Krantz said that the agency - in the summer of 2007 - put that area on the schedule to rough the surface to provide extra traction.

But with only one piece of equipment and 8,000 miles of territory to cover, it's not yet been done.

"We have to wait on the equipment, and we get to these as quickly as we can," he said.

But Newburn contends that it's not been quick enough, and he vows to continue to push the agency into more action.

"It wasn't fast enough or nearly enough to help the kids last week," he said.