Two East Texans Dead in Separate Weekend Accidents

A two-vehicle accident Saturday morning has left one East Texan dead and two people seriously injured.

DPS says a car driven by 54-year-old Lloyd Webster of Minden, Texas, was struck by a car driven by 40-year-old Sandra Griffin Reddick of Kilgore after she lost control  overcorrected, and turned back on the roadway striking Websters vehicle.

Webster died at the scene; Reddick was treated and released at a local hospital. A passenger in Reddick’s vehicle 18- year-old Karman Hailey Moddy is listed in critical condition.

The fatal wreck occured on FM 2767, 8 miles west of Kilgore.

Also, a head-on collision left one East Texas teenager dead Saturday.

DPS say it happened on Highway 11, just East of Hughes Springs. DPS officials say a Jeep, driven by 17-year-old Amber Smoak of Hughes Springs, was traveling eastbound crossed over into the oncoming lane and crashed head-on into a westbound 18-wheeler.

Smoak was pronounced dead at the scene, while the truck driver was hospitalized in fair condition. The accident remains under investigation.

Smith County house fire under investigation.

The blaze broke out around noon Sunday at a residence located on CR 233 in Eastern Smith County.

Ernest Warren told firefighters he returned home after running errands to find his house on fire and flames coming from the roof. Volunteer firefighters from Arp, Chapel Hill, and Jackson Heights responded to the fire. The blaze caused heavy fire damage to the wood frame home. No injuries were reported.

Click it or Ticket Nets Tyler Violators

During the Click It or Ticket enforcement program, officers for the Tyler Police Department working specifically on this initiative wrote a total of 157 citations for seatbelt violations and 4 citations for child safety seat violations.

Texas law requires every person sitting in the front or rear seat of a vehicle to wear a safety belt.  A child less than eight years old and less than four feet, nine inches tall must be secured in a child safety seat. Drivers can be stopped and ticketed for a safety belt violation if they, or any of their passengers under the age of 15, are not buckled up or properly restrained.

Traffic fines for failing to use a seat belt or secure a child in a safety seat can run from $25 to $200, plus court costs.