A nine-year-old fourth-grader, Payton Crustner, was killed after a car accident Tuesday morning in North Texas, outside of Tyler, Texas in Rusk County. The fatal car accident in Rusk County, Texas also left her 16-year-old brother in critical condition after he suffered a serious personal injury.
Details of the car accident in Rusk County, Texas
The car accident a couple hours outside of Dallas, Texas in Rusk County, happened on FM-225 near Laneville at about 7:16 a.m. on Tuesday, August 28, 2018. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the young child’s mother, Miranda Michelle Clark, was driving a Nissan Sentra on the road when they were struck by a vehicle driven by an 18-year-old driver of a GMC Sierra pickup who crossed over from his lane into the oncoming traffic causing a massive car accident in Rusk County.
Despite wearing a seat belt, Payton, one of the four occupants of the Nissan Sentra, was ejected from the car. The severity of the personal injuries she suffered as a result of the Rusk County car accident resulted in her being pronounced dead at the scene. Her 16-year-old brother was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the car accident in North Texas, but survived, and remains in ICU in critical condition according to Dallas News. A 3-year-old passenger and Payton’s mother also suffered personal injury after the car accident near Dallas, Texas, but were treated and released from the hospital. The driver of the pickup also sustained minor personal injuries and have been treated and released from the hospital. The Rusk County car crash is still under investigation.
Did you know? Types of child safety restraints
- Rear-facing car seat-This is the safest type of seat for infants. During a car accident, the impact force is distributed along the entire body. The child is shielded by the car seat shell, and the head moves with the seat thereby reducing the risk for neck and spinal injury. They provide impact protection, and an integral three or five-point harness or an impact shield to hold the child in place and limit forward movement.
- Booster seat- It allows a child to use a standard seatbelt. It boosts the child’s height when they are not tall enough to wear a seatbelt alone. The booster seat makes the regular seatbelt fit across the chest and hips of the child properly.
- Seatbelt-Adults and children age 12 and above are required by law to wear a seatbelt. A seatbelt must be correctly fastened. It should never rest on the stomach or face of a child. You should stop using a seat booster once your child is big and tall enough for a seatbelt to fit across his or her hips and chest.
Contact a car accident lawyer in Texas to discuss your options
If your child has been injured in a Texas car accident that was caused by the negligence of another person, or if your loved one was killed in a fatal car accident, talk to our Texas car accident attorney, Minesh J. Patel at The Patel Firm PLLC, Texas personal injury law firm. At The Patel Firm PLLC, our Texas car accident lawyer Minesh J. Patel represents children who have suffered personal injuries after a car accident in Dallas, a car accident in Corpus Christi, or a car accident anywhere else in Texas.
From the moment you call our law office for legal representation, Mr. Patel and his staff of personal injury professionals guarantee they will work hard and efficiently to get you the justice you deserve. Speak to someone at The Patel Firm PLLC, Texas personal injury law firm, today to discuss your options. You can call, text, or email the firm at any time. 24/7/365, night and weekends, someone is ready and waiting to speak with you. Call us at (361) 400-2036.
