SUV driver in fatal motorcycle crash had suspended license

OFF RHE WIRE
By Robin Pyle

AVALANCHE- JOURNAL
When Candice Brandon Fox’s vehicle collided with a motorcycle Tuesday, she wasn’t supposed to be driving, according to police.
Her driver’s license was suspended at the time of the crash that killed Richard Tilson Bagwell, 49, and Christy Ann Winters, 41, on Tuesday evening, Lubbock Police Capt. Scott Hudgens said.
Fox, 24, failed to yield the right of way on University Avenue, driving in front of a northbound 2001 Harley Davidson Road King just before 7:20 p.m., according to police.
Fox was driving her SUV southbound when she tried to make a left turn onto 87th Street from the center lane and collided with Bagwell’s motorcycle, police said.
Bagwell and his passenger, neither of whom was wearing a helmet, were thrown from the bike.
Police said they were still investigating the crash but, as of Wednesday, the only contributing factor listed on the report was failure to yield the right of way.
It was unclear Wednesday how long Fox’s license had been suspended or why, but court records show a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper cited her in March for driving while her license was invalid.
No charges had been filed nor citations issued pending the completion of the investigation, Hudgens said, which is standard procedure.
Tuesday’s double-fatality crash brought the motorcycle death toll in Lubbock this year to eight, and officials urge all drivers to pay extra attention to motorcyclists. There have been 22 total traffic fatalities this year.
The number of motorcycle fatalities has spiked in the past several years.
Since 2008, 26 motorcyclists have died on Lubbock streets, according to police records. Seven motorcyclists were killed last year, and 11 died in 2008. Four each were killed in 2006 and 2007.
Hudgens said it seems overall motorcycle usage has increased in recent years, making it especially critical that drivers watch out for them and motorcyclists take steps to protect themselves.
“They all need to be aware,” he said.
It’s not just a local problem.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the number of crashes, deaths and registered riders also has been increasing.
Officials launched the “Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign last year.
The message is simple: Always look twice before entering the roadway or turning left and at intersections.
This is how you should do it: Look left, look right and then look again.
Public safety officials say because of motorcycles’ smaller size, drivers often don’t see them or misjudge the distance and speed of a motorcycle.
Authorities also urge motorcyclists to wear helmets, though it’s not required by state law.
While a helmet won’t always save a rider’s life, experts say it does increase the chances of survival.
A study released early this year by the Southern Medical Association concluded that “the repeal of the universal helmet law in Texas in 1997 has had significant adverse effect on motorcyclist fatalities in Texas.”
The association analyzed Texas fatality data from 1994-2004.
Officials found there was a sharp increase in fatality rates immediately following the implementation of the law in September 1997. Deaths increased 30 percent, and helmet use dropped from 77 percent in 1996 to 36 percent in 1998 in Texas, according to the study.
Hudgens said he didn’t know if helmets would have saved the lives of Winters and Bagwell — officials were still awaiting autopsy results to determine their injuries and cause of death.
They were the second and third Lubbock motorcyclists to die this week.
Tristan D. Judkins, 25, died Monday as a result of a one-vehicle motorcycle crash Sept. 15 on West Loop 289, according to his obituary.
Police suspect alcohol and speed were factors in that crash, the accident report shows.
http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2010-10-14/suv-driver-fatal-motorcycle-crash-had-suspended-license