fatalities

An early Monday morning accident south of Briggs in Burnet County on US 183 killed two people and sent three others to a Williamson County hospial.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the accident occurred at 12:07 a.m. Monday, July 2, about 1.5 miles south of Briggs.

A 2017 Chevrolet Equinox, driven by 56-year-old Sheldon Ray Johnson of Goldthwaite was traveling south on US 183, followed by a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country, driven by 58-year-old Sharon Orsak Johnson, also of Goldthwaite.

A 2012 Dodge Ram driven by 61-year-old Sylvano Sanchez of Lampasas was traveling north on US183 when it crossed the center strip, entering the southbound lanes of traffic. The Dodge Ram struck both vehicles.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

The curvy, hilly stretch of Texas 71 between Spicewood and the Pedernales River bridge may seem serene and majestic to some, but it certainly can lay claim to being one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the Hill Country.

Since last year, at least five people have died on that leg of Texas 71, including earlier this month, when three Round Rock women died after their vehicle crashed into a charter bus carrying the Huston-Tillotson University baseball team on its way back to Austin from a game in New Mexico.

The women failed to yield the right of way to the bus as they turned left from Fall Creek Road and pulled out in front of it shortly before midnight on April 1. June Smith, 18, Isabella Torres, 17, and Taylor Mendez, 17, all of Round Rock, were killed in the crash. The bus driver, Adolphus Kimbro, was injured and taken to a local hospital.