The street department has installed a European -style “roundabout” intersection where Holdsworth Drive meets Tivy Street and Cypress Creek Road. This traffic control feature requires drivers to drive in a circular pattern until they arrive at the proper exit. For many Kerrville residents such as Fernwell, this is their first encounter with the novel structure.
Police were dispatched to the scene after neighbors reported seeing a teal Toyota driving in circles. Local television viewers were able to watch the scene unfold, as a News 8 chopper from San Antonio shot footage of the slow motion chase. Kerrville police officers called in Fredericksburg's mounted police bicycle unit in an attempt to get closer to the vehicle. Despite tapping on the window and gesturing emphatically, authorities were unable to convince Fernwell to enter any of the exits.
“We were going to wait until she ran out of gas,” said one police official. “But, heck, she was driving a Prius. That would have taken 16 hours.”
Instead, law enforcement brought in and deployed tire strips, which blew out the tires and brought the vehicle to a halt. Fernwell was then extricated from the vehicle using the “jaws of life.”
Thirty minutes after the incident, Fernwell, 78, remained unfazed, though still slightly dizzy.
“That was kind of fun, really,” she said.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment