HARTLEY COUNTY, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Officials from the Hartley County Sheriff’s Office have released an update surrounding a Friday accident that occurred two miles east of Hartley on Hwy 87.
According to the Hartley County Sheriff’s Office, a black passenger vehicle was sitting on the shoulder of the highway westbound when its driver attempted a U-turn without checking for oncoming traffic. The vehicle was hit by a white SUV traveling eastbound.
After further investigation by the office, officials determined that the driver of the passenger vehicle was driving while “intoxicated,” and was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The occupants of the SUV sustained minor injuries.
In the original post regarding the incident since deleted from Facebook, officials with the Hartley County Sheriff’s Office described the people involved in a way that officials later noted was found by some to be offensive:
“One of our goals at Hartley County Sheriffs Office is to get information to the public in a timely manner. In so doing on Friday, I wrote the post quickly using language as if I was writing my report on the accident. My intent was not to offend anyone sensitive to the identifiers I used. I made a mistake and will adjust how things are reported on this page in the future. I greatly appreciate all of you who reached out in support. As you all know, the world is a tough place right now and it’s harder now more than ever being in law enforcement. I learn something new everyday in this field and will continue to serve the public to the best of my abilities.”
Hartley County Sheriff’s Office