Welcome back to another edition of “Surviving the Lubbock Asphalt Lottery.” On Thursday morning, the infamous intersection of FM 1585 and CR 1100 reminded us yet again why driving west of the city limits requires a current will and testament. Around 11:30 a.m., a standard passenger vehicle collided head-on with a work truck, instantly killing 49-year-olds Gina Ganaway and Joseph Ellis. The driver of the work truck escaped with minor injuries, because in the battle of Hub City physics, industrial steel always wins against commuter metal.
Also in the vehicle was Ganaway’s 6-year-old son, Tyler, who was rushed to University Medical Center with brain swelling and severe trauma. Because we live in a country where a routine drive can result in a lifetime of medical debt, Tyler’s family has had to resort to the official health insurance provider of West Texas: GoFundMe. They are currently trying to scrape together $24,000 to cover the surgeries, therapy, and adaptive equipment this kid is going to need to rebuild his life without his mother.
If you’ve driven down FM 1585 lately, you know it’s a glorious, dust-choked gauntlet of endless Loop 88 construction, heavy machinery, and drivers texting at 75 miles per hour. While local officials love to brag about the city’s booming westward expansion, they seem totally content leaving the actual connecting roads as narrow, dangerous death traps masquerading as highways.
But hey, let’s keep throwing millions into expanding strip malls and ignore the meat grinder on the edge of town, right?
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