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News

Student liable in minor car wreck

Driver rear-ends minivan Wednesday morning 

by JOHNNY M. PEÑA
The Daily Cougar

A car driven by an 18-year-old student slammed into the back of a minivan Wednesday, causing damage to both vehicles.

The accident occurred at about 8:20 a.m. between the Fine Arts Building and Parking Lot 16B.

Music education freshman Jordan Tuggle was driving a Honda Accord heading west toward Cullen Boulevard on Entrance 16 when he struck the Chevrolet Venture from behind.

Tuggle said he routinely uses the parking lot, and he was traveling at a speed of about 20 mph at the moment of impact.

"I remember coming around the corner and seeing the car, but I didn't see any lights," Tuggle said.

Tuggles's car sustained damage that included a dislodged bumper, broken headlights and a deployed airbag.

The minivan, which suffered damage to its rear bumper, was stopped to allow a student to exit the automobile.

The student's mother, who did not want to be identified, said she was dropping her daughter off at school.

"I was parked and had my emergency lights on. She was just about to get off when I felt someone hit me," the student's mother said.

Media production senior Megan Scoggin was sanding a ceramic pot outside the Fine Arts Building when she heard the crash.

"I didn't even hear any brakes. All I heard was like a boom and then a hissing sound," Scoggin said.

UH Police Department Cpl. Erick Dollagaray was the first official on the scene and said Tuggle was probably at fault because Texas law states the operator of a vehicle is automatically at fault if he or she rear-ends another automobile.

Tuggle was cited for failure to control speed, Dollagaray said. No injuries were reported.
 

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