Driving: You Never Know When

By Lydia Crow

SAN MARCOS, Texas – It was a crisp winter morning, temperature about 50 degrees with a blanket of dark overcast clouds and a slight heaviness in the air. It had been raining on and off all morning with winds whipping around every corner. There was a glistening layer of water and dew over everything outside. The morning was filled with sounds of water droplets falling and squirrels scurrying through the damp trees. It was about 9 a.m. Monday, normally the time the waste disposal comes to collect trash. Suddenly, dogs started barking incessantly as a screeching bang echoed through the hills of San Marcos, going towards Wimberley. As the neighbor’s peaked outside to see if the trash truck had knocked over their bin, they saw something much worse.

Someone crashed into a fence.

Smoke filled the air as 19-year-old Sabrina Chavez, a Texas State University freshman, stumbled around trying to pick up pieces of her damaged white Nissan Rogue.

On January 31, 2022, Chavez was on her way to campus like any other normal day when her vehicle hydroplaned into a fence and tree line after she drove around a slight curve on Hugo Road, right outside of San Marcos.

The slick roads paired with sharp curves was a recipe for disaster and Chavez learned how dangerous and unforgiving driving can be. She wasn’t hurt, but she was very unsettled.

“With this being my first accident, I definitely felt super anxious and worried,” said Chavez. “I could feel the car sliding across the road and it wanting to flip over. Thankfully there was a lot of brush that helped stabilize the car.” She said the wreck wasn’t as frightening as what came next. “I was definitely scared of calling my parents right after,” said Chavez. “Thankfully they reacted much better than I thought. They were just happy I was safe and understood that accidents do happen.” Chavez’s parents came to the scene and drove the vehicle back to their house that day.

Chavez says she was really shaken up from her first crash, but other drivers have experienced more than one. A lot more. Christian Aguirre, 23-year-old real-estate student, has been in four car wrecks. The most unforgettable wreck Aguirre remembers was a night in 2019 when a motorcycle t-boned him while at a stop sign in Austin, Texas.

“I stopped at the sign and looked to make sure it was clear. I began to drive when all I saw to my left was a bright light paired with a roaring sound,” said Aguirre. “It honestly felt like I had been hit by a train.” He stated the motorcycle driver was driving along a tree line that prevented him to see the motorcycle driver. The driver failed to stop at the stop sign which resulted in Aguirre’s vehicle getting hit. Aguirre revealed his two younger sisters were in the vehicle when the wreck happened. “After all the wrecks I have been in, this one was the scariest mainly because I had family with me,” said Aguirre. “I remember my father’s frightened face running up to the scene with pure fear in his eyes.” The driver, who was thrown from his motorcycle, was rushed to a nearby hospital. Aguirre and his sisters did not have any injuries, but they are left with a fear that haunts every driver after an accident.

Car accidents are a normalized occurrence that drivers inherently assume the risk every time they get behind the wheel. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

reported 1 person was killed every 2 hours 15 minutes from vehicle crashes in 2020. Additionally, TxDOT stated there were no deathless days on Texas roadways in 2020. Locally, Hays County had about 2,500 vehicle crashes in 2020. TxDOT found that 16.5% of drivers in crashes were between the ages 18-23, the age group of Sabrina and Christian. With such high numbers of vehicle accidents in this age group, police officers at Texas State University want students and drivers to be aware of the difficulties of driving on campus, especially with bad weather conditions.

“Driving on this campus is difficult to begin with, even for experienced drivers,” said Sgt. Daniel Benitez, administrative sergeant at the Texas State University Police Department. “With any type of bad weather, it will instantly change your environment. Roads you probably have driven hundreds of times become increasingly more dangerous the second rain, ice, or snow hit them.” Sgt. Benitez urges all drivers, novice or experienced, to be cautious when driving.

This advice hit hard for Chavez as she had driven the road she crashed on hundreds of times. “I would tell others who haven’t been in an accident to still be cautious of roads you may know, especially when they are slippery,” said Chavez. “Familiarity can hurt you in the long run.”

Sgt. Benitez spoke about an accident he witnessed over 20 years ago when a driver had to be life-flighted to a hospital due to the severity of his injuries. The accident occurred near Sewell Park at Texas State University. The helicopter landed on the bridge, which stuck with Sgt. Benitez because of an interesting moment. “I remember that a lot because when the helicopter landed, the ducks started flying everywhere,” said Benitez. “That was one of the first major accidents I witnessed as a new officer.” Between the past two academic semesters, there have been 29 driving related incidents on the Texas State University campus. Sgt. Benitez tells drivers to slow down and to always pay attention when driving. “Knowledge is key,” said Sgt. Benitez. “Be mindful of what you are doing and know how important it is to have awareness when driving.”

Sabrina Chavez experienced first-hand how dangerous driving can be and is working to be more cautious when driving. “I feel a sen

se of relief that it is over and done with,” said Chavez. “Now I am being more cautious and patient when driving, even with roads I already know.” These experiences highlight how you may never know when something bad can happen, especially with driving.

###

Speed Kills Slow Down

Jose Tapia Reaches Into Car

Jose Tapia Reaches into Car

High Water Sign With Curve

Sabrina Chavez's Damaged Car

Sabrina Chavez's Damaged Car

Couples in Shelby Cobras

Couples in Shelby Cobras

Couples in Shelby Cobras

Kathryn Jones and her Cobra

Train with Old Main

Driving along a Sunset

Christian Aguirre with DashCam

Bike Rack at Texas State

Scooter at Texas State

Photo	Description
Speed Kills Slow Down	​Rush hour traffic pours down East Slaughter Lane in Austin, Texas, on Monday, March 28, 2022, at 6 p.m. The City of Austin warns drivers what could happen when speeding on busy roadways.
​2. & 3. Jose Tapia Reaches into Car	Jose Tapia retrieves his belongings from what is left of his totaled Chevy Camaro in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Two cars racing to merge into an access road along Interstate Highway 35, hit Tapia and his girlfriend, Jenny Aguirre, which resulted in a broken rib and heavy bruising, according to Tapia.
4. High Water Sign with Curve	A sign is placed to warn drivers after Sabrina Chavez hydroplaned into a fence on Hugo Road in San Marcos, Texas, on January 31, 2022. Melinda Chavez, mother of Sabrina Chavez, said Hugo Road is known for crashes involving speed, weather, and sharp curves.
5. & 6. Sabrina Chavez's Damaged Car	​This damaged Nissan Rogue sits idly by after Sabrina Chavez wrecked into a fence due to a sharp curve and water on Hugo Road in San Marcos, Texas, on January 31, 2022. Chavez said she could feel the car sliding across the road and it wanting to flip over.
7. & 8. & 9. Couple in Shelby Cobras	​Two couples rest under a shade tree in their prized Shelby Cobras on March 31, 2022, in San Marcos, Texas. They are in town for the Texas Cobras Club 2022 Spring Meet hosted every year in San Marcos.
10. Kathryn Jones and her Cobra	​ Kathryn Jones and friends visit San Marcos, Texas, for the Texas Cobras Club Spring Meet on March 31, 2022. After attending for five years in a row, Jones said they look forward to the meet every year to show off their prized possessions, 1960s Shelby Cobras.
11. Train with Old Main	A train passes through South CM Allen Parkway on March 31, 2022, in San Marcos, Texas, as a driver captures a view of Texas State University’s first ever building, Old Main.
12. Driving Along a Sunset	A glowing sunset lights up Ranch Road 12 as Christian Aguirre makes his way out of San Marcos, Texas, heading into Wimberley. Aguirre said this road is full of deer on either side during sunrise and sunset.
13. Christian Aguirre with DashCam	Christian Aguirre sits back after installing a DashCam in his truck after experiencing four car accidents in the past four years. Aguirre said having the Dash-Cam makes him feel safer when it comes to capturing other drivers’ negligence or wildlife, especially in the hill country.
14. Bike Rack at Texas State	A bike rack is mostly empty at Texas State University on March 29, 2022, as the semester comes to an end.
15. Scooter at Texas State	An electric scooter waits near Alkek Library for the next student or faculty to use for transportation on March 29, 2022 at the Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.