The last day of March marked a tragic end to one of the worst first-quarters ever on Milam County roads.
Fatalities number six and seven for the first three months of 2019 were logged Sunday morning in a two-vehicle collision on FM 485 in northeastern Milam County, claiming the lives of Temple and College Station residents.
The next afternoon, on the first day of April, brought number eight, when a 48-year-old Wisconsin woman died when her sedan rolled and struck a tree on a county road southeast of Rockdale.
ROLLOVER—State Trooper Broderick Sims said at 4:55 p.m. Monday a Buick Century driven by Angela Schneider of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, left County Road 322, five miles from Rock-dale.
He said the car rolled through a fence, hit a tree and ejected the driver.
Sims said Schneider was not wearing a seat belt. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Greg Hoelscher.
The Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department also responded. DPS Sgt. David Yarbrough and Troopers Ernest DelBosque and Josh Cashion also assisted at the scene.
HEAD-ON—Dying as a result of the 8:15 a.m. Sunday collision were 20-year-old Nathan Ellard of College Station and Crystal Ranslem, 32, of Temple, according to the DPS.
DPS Sgt. Dave Roberts said the location was FM 485 at Tyson Creek. That’s near the Branchville community.
He said Ellard was westbound in a 2005 Mazda sedan when he crossed the center stripe and collided head-on with Ranslem’s 2018 Nissan SUV.
The DPS said Ellard was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ranslem was airlifted from the accident site and later died at a hospital, according to the DPS.
The farm-market road was shut down in both directions while emergency crews were on the scene.
According to Cameron Fire Chief Henry Horelica, the Cameron VFD sent four units and 14 volunteers responded. He said the CVFD’s jaws-of-life apparatus was used to free Ranslem from the wreckage.
DPS state troopers and the Milam County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene.
THE TOLL—It marked the second two-fatality crash in six days on Milam roads. On Monday, March 25, two persons died in an accident on US 77 north of Minerva.
According to the Department of Public Safety, 84-year-old Byron Wise of Gause and Belinda Braddock, 66, of Rockdale were pronounced dead at the scene of a 2:59 p.m. collision on US 77 north of Minerva, an accident which drew both the Rockdale and Cameron VFDs to the scene.
On March 15, a motorcycle operated by Karen Frazier, 61, of Porter crashed on US 190/Texas 36 near the Bell County line, causing fatal injuries.
On Feb. 16, a Killeen teacher sustained fatal injuries in a two-vehicle crash on Texas 36 south of Milano.
Vanessa Harrison died a day and a half later in a Bryan hospital.
On Feb. 27, a collision between an 18-wheeler and a pickup claimed another life on that same stretch of highway south of Milano. Pickup driver Louis Smith, 77, of Caldwell died.
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