Beaumont, TX : 56-year-old woman died after struck by a vehicle on Eastex Freeway on Monday, May 16, 2016

A 56-year-old Beaumont woman died after she was struck by a vehicle Monday on Eastex Freeway that collided with another vehicle that had pulled over to change a flat tire.

Beaumont police identified her as Linda Ann Renfro, according to police Sgt. James Guedry.
A man who had been assisting with the tire change is in Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in stable condition with serious injuries.

Police responded to the collision at 1:42 p.m. in the 8200 block of Eastex. Two people were reported to have fallen over the guardrail on the overpass, a height of more than 14 feet.

Responding officers said a driver with a flat tire pulled over to change it. Several other vehicles stopped to offer help. Another vehicle lost control, striking the rear of one of the vehicles.
A police spokesman said he advises people to "ruin your rim," even if it means driving on the flat to a safer spot for help.

The crash led police to shut down part of the freeway, resulting in a long traffic tie-up just before afternoon drive time.

Guedry said a red Chrysler minivan with the flat tire had pulled to the shoulder of the freeway near Chinn Lane.

Guedry said bystanders pulled over to assist. As they stood near the van, another driver "lost focus and lost control" and hit a vehicle behind the minivan.

He said it wasn't immediately clear if Renfro and the man were hit by the car or if the crash forced them to jump over the guardrail.

From where they fell, the bridge is 14 feet, 6 inches from the ground. At its highest point, the bridge is 15 feet, 5 inches.

"It's a pretty good distance," Guedry said. "I think this sends out a message. If you have a flat, find a safe place to change it. On top of a bridge really isn't a safe place, especially with this (rainy) weather."
Hal Watson Jr., whose Dallas-based Watson Engineering Corp. investigates and reconstructs traffic accidents, said the safest thing to do when a vehicle stalls on a highway is to call the local police department for protection.

Watson noted that economic factors make it difficult to allow wider shoulder lanes on overpasses.
"It happens all the time, especially nowadays with the distractions that we have," Watson said of accidents after roadside breakdowns.

"We're seeing a lot of these kinds of accidents. I've seen this over the years, even with professional drivers like truckers drifting into the shoulder lane.

Source :
Beaumont woman dies in Eastex overpass crash