A 71-year-old man perished in a traffic collision in Taylor, Texas, marking the city's first traffic fatality of the year. The elderly driver, identified as James Russell Grenwelge of Hearne, collided head-on with a tractor-trailer on Wednesday afternoon, according to a report by CBS Austin.
Taylor police were alerted to a reckless driver on South Main Street at around 2:34 p.m. Officers who arrived on the scene witnessed the car driving on the wrong side of the road. An officer was able to halt southbound traffic, while another made an attempt to intercept Grenwelge's vehicle. However, the car proceeded past the officer and ultimately crashed into the stationary tractor-trailer, police said. The driver was found pinned and unresponsive inside his car.
Despite first responders' efforts to save Grenwelge's life, he was declared dead at the scene at approximately 3:36 p.m. The roadway was subsequently closed for an investigation that spanned several hours.
The impact of the collision forced an extensive shutdown of the area’s thoroughfare, backed up for more than 3 hours as authorities analyzed the crash site and cleared the wreckage. KXAN reported that an autopsy for Grenwelge is pending and, at this time, no charges are anticipated in relation to the incident. The Taylor Police Department continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding this fatal event.
