Collision incurs $100,000 of damage
Examiner photos by Matthew Ybarra City of Navasota employees begin to clear the rubble after a driver collided with the northside Navasota entrance sign early Monday morning.
Terry Bain, 64, of Sutherland, Nebraska, was arrested Monday afternoon for duty on striking structure, fixture or highway landscaping over $200. Bain was charged with the Class B Misdemeanor after allegedly colliding with the northside city of Navasota entrance sign in the early hours of Monday morning.
According to the Navasota Police Department, Bain was traveling southbound on State Highway 6, hauling a load of hay in a trailer from Nebraska to Hempstead. The Dodge dually truck and trailer left the roadway at the split of State Highway 6 and Business 6 north of Navasota at approximately 4:30 a.m. The vehicle continued along the embankment before colliding with the west side of the sign and coming to rest.
“Mr. Bain received a ride to Hempstead and left the scene after the accident,” said Lieutenant Mike Mize. “When officers arrived on scene after it was called into dispatch at 5:47 a.m. they found the truck and trailer but no driver.”
The Navasota Police Department received a call later in the day and Bain returned to the city and confessed to driving the vehicle and leaving the scene of the accident.
“The best we can tell the cause of the crash was either lack of sleep or, according to the driver, to avoid a deer,” said Navasota Police Chief Shawn Myatt. “We were unable to get a reasonable explanation as to why he did not report the crash after it occurred.”
According to Dominque Lowery with the city of Navasota, Bain’s insurance claim will pay for the rebuilding of the sign and the city will not incur the costs.
“Due to structural damages, the whole sign will most likely need to be replaced, which is roughly more than $100,000,” said Lowery, noting that estimates had not been received at press time.