Welcome to the Hub City, where the only thing more dangerous than the dust storms is trying to exist on a Saturday morning. Our latest “Only in Lubbock” tragedy features 69-year-old Charles Hargrove, who made the fatal mistake of thinking he could safely navigate 19th Street at 7:45 a.m.
According to the folks in blue, Hargrove had just finished up his yard work—presumably trying to beat the West Texas heat or the judging glares of the HOA—when he stepped off the curb near York Avenue. He was promptly struck by a westbound vehicle in the right-hand lane. Because apparently, even at sunrise on a weekend, 19th Street is less of a municipal roadway and more of a 24/7 drag strip for people who treat stoplights as mere suggestions.
LPD’s Major Crash Unit spent their Saturday morning hanging out between York and Slide, marking the pavement and reminding us all that being a pedestrian in this town is a high-stakes extreme sport. Mr. Hargrove was rushed to UMC, but Lubbock’s favorite medical destination couldn’t fix what 19th Street broke.
As of now, no arrests have been made, because “investigating” a crash in Lubbock is the local equivalent of watching paint dry on a windy day. We’re still waiting to hear if the driver was blinded by the sun, distracted by a breakfast burrito, or simply operating under the standard local assumption that sidewalks are decorative and pedestrians are bonus points.
I guess the moral of the story is: if you value your life, just let the weeds win.
Does anyone know if the city offers a “survived 19th Street” bumper sticker, or do we only hand those out to the cars that make it through the weekend without a dent?
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