Last week's fatality hits home
LORI MELLINGER Bullard Banner News

FM 344 was never my usual route.

Now that I drive down the road every day - sometimes more than twice a day. And not a week goes by that I don't think of Mrs. Abernathy.

When she and I first had a conversation, I had, in fact, only driven that stretch a short distance from Bullard city limits since my teen-age years.

But Mrs. Abernathy called one day about two years ago to talk about her daughter - who at the time - had been in a car wreck on one of the myriad curves on 344.

We talked at length.

Her daughter was shaken by the collision - which was fortunately with a fence and didn't result in injuries. Mrs. Abernathy's concerns were directly related to the safety of the road.

I was excited about the prospect of a story about it.

I talked to a former and a current engineer for TxDOT about the road and what - if anything - could be done to make it safer.

They both said the same thing - basically that the road could be seal coated but that was about it.

And then, I'm ashamed to say, other things, other stories, other commitments got in the way.

But as I continued to drive down the road regularly, I saw first-hand Mrs. Abernathy's concerns.

I kept thinking that I would soon like to get back to that story.

And then - last week - it was brought up again.

As I was driving to work Tuesday morning - running a little late - the first thing I saw when I passed the four-way stop in Teaselville was an overturned truck in the ditch.

As a newsperson, I looked at it.

There were some young men milling around on the misty day, and it looked to be minor. Everyone appeared unhurt. So I thought that was it.

As I drove closer to town, traffic slowed to a stop, and I saw the flashing lights.

When I first saw the wreckage I knew I had to - again as a newsperson - go get the camera.

When I saw Superintendent Jim Wright and Assistant Superintendent Lynette Hughes standing by the side of the road I had a sinking feeling.

And when I asked them about it, all they said was, "It's not good."

And after reading and hearing the other accounts - including the one in this week's paper - you know the rest of the story.

Sources tell me that TxDOT District Engineer Mary Owen was herself at the scene later that day.

TxDOT spokesperson Larry Krantz told me that morning that the area in question was scheduled over the summer to have the surface of the road roughed - adding extra traction.

Unfortunately, he told me, there was only one piece of equipment that did this, and 344 had yet to come up on the list, with TxDOT's 8,000 miles of road to maintain in the area.

I didn't realize our fire chief, Keith Newburn, would be able to get me the exact statistics on the number of wrecks his department works on that stretch of road -- which he so willingly and quickly provided for me, and readers can see in the story on page 1.

I'm not naive to think I could have prevented the death of James Compton, but I still have regret that I wasn't able to caution readers as I could and should have.

And that's something I'll have to live with.

For the rest of you who drive that same stretch of road as regularly as I do, I hope that James' death was not in vain - that we understand the severity of what can happen in an instant to change our lives forever.

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Lori Mellinger is the editor of the Bullard Banner News. She may be reached via e-mail to editor@bullardnews.com