'It's a miracle she even survived': Car crashes up 37% on US 290 in Hays County

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) - A crash put one young woman in the hospital for weeks on a stretch of road many say is dangerous.

The Hays County Sheriff's Office said a majority of the crashes and traffic stops on U.S. Highway 290 are happening in Dripping Springs.

One of those car crashes involved Coral Gibson.

"It's a miracle she even survived. It's probably the worst non-fatal collision I've seen," her husband David Gibson said.

The head-on car crash completely changed Coral's life.

"With these kinds of injuries, she'll never be the same person again," Gibson said. "It's a very traumatic scenario."

David said she drove on U.S. 290 west of Dripping Springs when a driver heading the opposite way came into her lane.

"She's lost that left eye," David said. "She's lost a good portion of her skull, as well as a good portion of her brain had to be removed."

Coral's been in the hospital ever since and they have no idea when she'll come home.

"We're looking at something that could be six months, a year, two years. It's going to go neurological therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy," David said.

While Coral's road ahead may be long and uncertain, David said he's sure of at least one thing: he'll be by her side the whole way through.

"She's never going to be alone. Never," David said. "I'm going to be with her every step of the way."

David said family and friends have organized a meal train and a GoFundMe. He said they are also planning a Coral's Butterfly Dash 5K on Sept. 30.

Increase of crashes

Crashes are common in that area, according to Hays County Sheriff Deputy Anthony Hipolito. In the past three months, there've been dozens and dozens.

"We had a total of 91 traffic accidents on or around Highway 290 in that time period," Hipolito said.

He said car crashes on U.S. 290 in Hays County are up 37% compared to last year.

It's a trend they're trying to stop with more patrols and a zero-tolerance traffic enforcement initiative.

"We stopped a ton of vehicles for speeding up and down Highway 290. We stopped a ton of vehicles for driving down the center lane," Hipolito said.

But he said that won't be enough to prevent crashes and that it's also on drivers to do their part.

"Drive a little bit slower. Don't be distracted by your cell phone," Hipolito said. "Turn the music down."

More traffic stops

Along with car crashes, traffic stops are also on the rise in that area.

Hipolito said there's been a 57% increase in stops along that stretch of U.S. 290 compared to last year.

Just in the last three months, 370 stops happened in Dripping Springs.