Wharton County couple says unfinished US 59 exit was unmarked, resulting in totaled vehicle

WHARTON COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A Wharton County couple is demanding accountability after their car was totaled when they mistakenly took an unfinished highway exit that they say lacked any warning signs or barricades.

Otis Brooks Jr. and his wife, Ruth, were driving southbound on U.S. 59 near Hungerford just before 10 p.m. on June 11 when they took what they say appeared to be an open exit ramp.

“I said, ‘Oh, this ramp is open,'” Brooks recalled. “Before I realized, it (the car) was up in the air.”

The car launched off the pavement and landed in deep mud. Photos taken afterward show the vehicle stuck off-road in deep mud.

“It went up on the embankment and down again,” Brooks said. “My wife was yelling and grabbing my arm. The car could have flipped.”

The couple insists there were no lights, barrels, or barricades at the time of the crash, making it impossible to tell that the exit was under construction in the dark.

Brooks reported the incident to TxDOT, which confirmed it had received his complaint and followed up. In a statement, TxDOT said they “verified that traffic control devices were present at this location.” A spokesperson added that “to our knowledge, traffic control devices were present at the time of this incident,” but did not specify what those devices were.

Brooks said the contractor later texted him to deny his claim. The couple’s insurance company has since declared the vehicle a total loss, he said.

Their daughter, who rushed to the scene with her husband, said the conditions were exactly as her father described.

“My husband said, ‘Wow, that’s dangerous,'” Pam Brooks-Childress recalled.

Brooks remains frustrated, pointing to video of the vehicle’s undamaged front end as proof he didn’t crash through a barricade.

“There’s proof I didn’t go through a barricade,” he said. “Because the front of the car is not hurt.”

Now, without a vehicle and left with mounting questions, the couple is hoping someone will take responsibility for what they believe was a preventable crash.

Full Statement from TxDOT:

Mr. Brooks contacted TxDOT and indicated that there were no traffic control devices installed at the location of his incident. TxDOT followed up on Mr. Brooks’ claim and verified that traffic control devices were present at this location. Furthermore, to our knowledge, traffic control devices were present at the time of this incident. Additionally, Mr. Brooks was provided the contractor’s contact information to submit a claim. To date we have not received any additional reports of similar incidents at this location.

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