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Wrong Way Driver On Trial For Killing Teen On Dallas North Tollway
Posted on Sep 13, 2010
The Dallas North Tollway has seen a growing number of wrong way crashes in the past two years – with many of the accidents involving drunk or confused drivers.
The latest’s Dallas North Tollway wrong way driving accident took place in May 2009, when 26-year-old Mariza Martinez was driving home from a wedding reception. Though her lawyer is arguing in court that Martinez only had a few drink and felt capable of driving, her blood alcohol content tells a different story: police found her blood alcohol level to be 0.13 in the hours after the fatal crash, while the legal limit in Texas is 0.08.
Martinez entered the tollway driving south on the northbound lanes and continued driving despite the fact that many cars flashed their lights and tried to alert her to the issue. Moments later, Martinez slammed head on into a car carrying two teens returning from a concert. One girl, 16-year-old Kara Taylor of Little Elm, was killed in the wrong way car accident. Her 15-year-old friend was seriously injured. The crash, in which Martinez was also injured, occurred just after midnight and closed the road until four in the morning.
Now, Martinez is on trial in Dallas for intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. Her lawyer is arguing that the entrance to the tollway is confusing and suffers from poor road design. Since the accident, the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) has added signs to the troublesome off ramp to prevent future accidents.
Martinez’s lawyer is also arguing that all drives have turned down the wrong way of a street before – do you think this is the case?
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