Officials were called to the scene of an accident that happened along Highway 191 just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 29. The accidents happened in the westbound lanes approximately two miles outside of Odessa.
An 89-year-old man from Midland, Audrey Wigginton, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. He was traveling westbound in a Dodge Ram truck when the accident occurred.
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According to reports, a Ford F250 was traveling behind Wigginton but had failed to maintain a safe speed which caused them to crash into the back of the Dodge Ram. The name of this driver has not been released.
It was confirmed that both drivers were wearing their seatbelts. The driver of the Ford F250 was taken to the hospital where they could receive care for injuries that were considered non-life-threatening.
Due to the major accident, traffic was backed up while the crews cleaned up the scene.
Rear-end collisions can cause a lot of damage to the human body. These can range from common whiplash all the way to death.
Whiplash is there is a fast back and forth movement of the neck caused when the impact and the stopping of the vehicle occur. Whiplash symptoms generally present themselves within 24 hours of the accident. Symptoms include physical neck pain, the inability to move the neck without pain, dizziness, tingling in the upper extremities, and headaches, among others.
Head and brain injuries often accompany the deployment of the airbags. The impact can often be enough to make a person lose consciousness. Brain swelling and concussions are possibilities when the force from the airbag is high enough.
Spinal injuries are often bad enough to lead to paralysis. This is especially true when the accident occurs at a high speed. If there is injury to the spinal cord, but no paralysis, the victim could be looking at a lifetime of pain or physical therapy to try to correct the issue.
At the time of the release, there was no confirmation on whether or not the driver of the F250 was going to be charged with any crimes in the accident. The investigation into the accident is ongoing.