A 17-year-old driver died Sunday after driving the wrong way on West Loop 250 North in Midland, Texas, according to police. The teen was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Camaro, traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes, when officers responded to reports of a wrong-way driver. The teen avoided an attempted police intercept, continued on, and collided with a vehicle near North Big Spring Street before hitting a second vehicle. A third vehicle then struck debris from the scene.
The teen was pronounced dead at the scene. Occupants of the other vehicles were taken to Midland Memorial Hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. No other fatalities were reported, which is remarkable given the nature of wrong-way collisions.
Wrong-way crashes are rare, but they tend to be severe because of the closing speeds involved. This case also raises two policy questions that get asked after nearly every incident like it: how police should handle a failed intercept, and whether teen driving laws and training are doing enough. Here on the Suncoast, where hurricane evacuations and seasonal traffic put thousands of extra cars on I-75 and I-275 every year, those questions aren’t abstract. The Midland Police Department is still investigating, and more details are expected in the coming weeks. What would you want to know if a wrong-way crash happened on our roads?
