Firefighters busy with accidents

Local emergency workers were busy Friday with accidents in Sherwood Shores and Whitesboro.

At 4:40 p.m. Gordonville and Sherwood Shores fire departments were dispatched to the intersection of Highway 377 and F.M. 901. A red Ford Explorer had run off the road and rolled in the ditch.

As fire fighters responded to the accident, Ron Blackwell, Sherwood Shores Fire Chief reported that there was an accident at Liberty Road and Highway 377, which is two mile north of F.M. 901. Dispatch determined that this was the exact location of the reported accident. First responders were quickly re-routed.

The occupants of the vehicle were treated on-scene. They sustained no transportable injuries.

No cause has been officially determined at this time. However, on-scene rescuers said that it appeared to be a distracted driver. “The [driver] was eating a chocolate sundae. That appears to be a contributing factor,” said Blackwell.

Only a few hours later, at 7:23 p.m. Whitesboro Firefighters were dispatched a very short distance from their station to the intersection of Main Street and Union Street to respond to a two vehicle accident.

Gainesville resident, Michael Vaughn, was driving a black Dodge Ram 1500 north on Union Street through the intersection when Andrew Gargiulo in Green Chevrolet Metro struck him. Gargiulo was as in the opposite lane and turning left onto Main Street. The vehicles collided and then Vaughn was deflected into the brick wall on the northeast corner of the intersection.

Police determined Gargiulo to be at fault for “proceed[ing] to turn left without yielding the right of way,” according to the accident report. However, witness, Ben Munson said that Vaughn was traveling at an excessive speed.

No one was injured in the accident but it did cause significant damage to both vehicles as well as the brick retaining wall. It also forced officials to temporarily close both lanes of the downtown section of Main Street. This interrupted the flow of traffic from Whitesboro’s first Cruse Night, although no one involved in the accident was actually participating in the cruse at the time.