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Parked car potentially saves child's life after driver falls asleep at wheel, crashes in East Texas

The child was playing in front of a business when the car left the roadway and struck a Ford Bronco

Huntington crash (Huntington Police Department)

HUNTINGTON, Texas – Police in a small East Texas city say a parked car may have made the difference between a frightening crash and an unimaginable tragedy.

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The incident happened on Highway 69 in the City of Huntington, which is just east of Lufkin.

Police say a driver in a white Honda allegedly fell asleep while traveling southbound on the highway. The vehicle crossed the northbound lanes and left the roadway, striking a parked 2024 Ford Bronco that was parked at a nearby business. The impact caused the Honda to deflect off the Bronco and come to rest against a fence near a cell tower behind the business.

Directly behind the nutrition business was a donut shop where police say a 10-year-old child was playing at the time of the crash.

“Had the Bronco not altered the path of the Honda, this incident could have had a tragic outcome,” the Huntington Police Department said. “Sometimes a parked vehicle is just a parked vehicle. Today, it may have been the difference between a frightening crash and an unimaginable tragedy.”