Traffic Flagger Causes Accident

A traffic control snafu led to a wreck at the top of the Bluff south of La Grange Tuesday morning, Nov. 7.

The crash happened around 10 a.m. at the intersection of US 77 and FM 155. Construction work on US 77 south of the Bluff squeezed traffic to one lane Tuesday morning

Deputy James Ulbig of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, who investigated the crash, said a gray 2022 Toyota Tacoma driven by David Umphres of Giddings was heading south on US 77.

Umphres was in the line of traffic coming up the Bluff being led by a pilot vehicle, Ulbig said, when a flagger at the corner of FM 155 directed a car across the intersection before all the traffic passed.

The car, a gray 2019 Dodge Charger driven by Tierra King of Weimar struck Umphres’ Toyota in the front driver’s side corner. King suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Fayette County EMS transported her to Columbus Community Hospital. Umphres was not injured

Ulbig did not issue any citations to either driver