A 44-year-old Dayton woman died in the early morning hours Tuesday, May 21, from a single-vehicle crash on FM 1409, according to Sgt. Rob Willoughby, supervisor for the Liberty County office of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The deceased woman, Jennifer Deshayes, was a front-seat passenger in a 2013 Toyota Corolla being driven northbound on FM 1409 by 45-year-old Tonya Freeman, of Lake Charles, La.
The accident was reported at 3:40 a.m. Tuesday and caused FM 1409 to be closed for two hours while authorities investigated the crash.
“For an unknown reason, Ms. Freeman entered the curve, traveled off the road to the east side, then overcorrected and traveled to the west side, then overcorrected again to the right, causing her vehicle to enter a left broadside skid. The vehicle vaulted from the roadway into the west ditch and continued in a skid for a short distance before it struck a tree,” said Willoughby.
The tree struck the back door of the driver’s side of the vehicle, causing the car to spin in the opposite direction before coming to rest upright off the roadway in the west ditch.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they found Deshayes, who was not wearing a seatbelt, to have critical injuries. CPR was performed on the passenger until an air ambulance arrived to transport her to HCA Kingwood, where she was pronounced dead. Freeman, who was wearing a seatbelt, suffered serious injuries and was taken by Mont Belvieu EMS to Hermann Memorial Hospital in downtown Houston. Her condition is unknown at this time.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
When asked if the deceased woman might have survived the crash had she been wearing her seatbelt, Willoughby said, “Potentially. Probably. Your chances of survival in a crash are always better when you are restrained,” he said.
Jenifer Deshayes was NOT unrestrained nor was she in the front seat!! I have seen the 2013 Toyota Corolla and it is very evident to my layman’s eyes that the JAWS OF LIFE was used on the back passenger door to free my sister from the car!! As her family member I understand the urge to use our tragedy to save another life however my sister was restrained and still lost her life!!!! So the end of this article is very disturbing to say the least!!! PLEASE CORRECT YOUR MISTAKE or maybe next time report the facts not your interpretation of the facts!!!
S. George