William Wynn Bailey has been charged with DWI after his involvement in a crash on SH 205 that seriously injured five people, including Samuel Nunn. The Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report states that at 5:56 p.m. on September 20, 2022, four vehicles were involved in a collision on SH 205 and County Road 746 in Collin County. According to the report, a white Hyundai driven by William Wynn Bailey (54) was traveling southbound on State Highway 205 when it traveled into the southbound lane and struck a red GMC pickup truck driven by Samuel Nunn (38). The red pickup was struck by a black Ford pickup truck driven by Jonathan Rodriguez (33), that was traveling behind it. An F-350 that was pulling a trailer was traveling behind the Hyundai. The driver, Cesar Sanchez (58), swerved to avoid the collision and rolled over into the ditch west of SH 205. Five people were seriously injured in this crash; all were transported to local hospitals. Mr. Bailey was charged with DWI. According to the report, his BAC was .226 and this was his second DWI charge. His case is pending in Collin County and according to court records, an interlock device was required.
Commentary
This was a horrific crash that resulted in five people receiving serious injuries that likely altered their lives. When I see crashes like this, I often wonder what, if anything, could have been done to avoid this collision. Unfortunately, this may be one of those times where mitigating the damage was the best one could hope for. The site of the crash appears to be a two-lane rural road with a shoulder on each side. Depending on several factors such as speed, following distance, and traffic, few options may have existed for the drivers to take evasive maneuvers. Based on the crash report, it appears that Mr. Nunn did try and move out of the way of the wrong-way driver but he was unable to fully complete the action and was struck in the rear-passenger corner of the vehicle. Mr. Sanchez appears to have avoided the collision, but the vehicle rolled over after swerving. Even though people were hurt, it was very fortunate that everyone survived this crash.
Traveling at a safe distance, staying alert, and driving the speed limit are all ways to keep safe while driving. Doing all these things helps to reduce your risk but does not guarantee your safety, especially when intoxicated drivers are on the road. Most people don’t think of drunk driving as something that happens at 5 p.m. during rush hour traffic. Though bars are open during the day, the drunk drivers we see at this time who are repeat offenders are often drinking something they picked up on their own. Drunk driving crashes have increased, and the disturbing trend includes more daytime drunk driving than ever before. Since drunk driving can happen any time of day, the best way to stay safe is to keep more distance between you and other drivers (create space) and to always keep alert and know your options to avoid accidents.