Manor community, city leaders voice concerns about dangerous intersection following deadly crash

MANOR, Texas - A 20-year-old woman is dead, and a 17-year-old girl was airflighted to the hospital after a crash in Manor Wednesday night.

Police said on Dec. 7, just before 10:30 p.m., the crash happened on Hwy 290 and FM 973.

FOX 7 Austin learned the intersection where the crash happened has been a trouble spot for a long time.

"Once responders were starting to arrive on scene, we realized that we did have two patients. Of those, one was not pinned in the vehicle and one was pinned in the vehicle," said Captain Noak, of the Austin-Travis County EMS.

Police said 20-year-old Karen Servin died at the scene, and a teen was airflighted to the hospital. The identity of the teen has not yet been released.

"It’s a four-way stoplight one of our main intersections in Manor and one vehicle would've run the red light striking the other vehicle which caused the death," said Sgt. Craig Struble, Manor Police Department.

It’s unclear which car ran the red light, according to Sgt. Craig Struble. But, it's not the first time this has happened.

"We're constantly having folks have collisions, we're constantly having folks die in that same intersection on a regular basis," said Manor Mayor Chris Harvey.

Mayor Harvey said prior to this crash, they’ve been working on solutions, as this intersection has been a trouble spot.

In Facebook comments, community members echoed frustration. Some said they're "afraid of this intersection…" and others said there have been "countless fatal accidents" there.

Many are putting blame on the congestion, and how quickly the lights change.

Mayor Harvey said possible changes could include changing light timing or widening the lanes to accommodate more traffic. Just like Austin, Manor is exploding.

"What we're trying to do is work with our partners at TxDOT to try to come up with those schematics and then actually try to find the funding to do those projects," said Mayor Harvey.

He's hoping those who have that power see the urgency because it's already too late for two families.

"It's bad enough to see folks having accidents, collisions there on a regular basis. And then we have the and then when they passed away or have to be starflighted out. My heart drops on that. And then when I find out the ages, it just fuels me to continue to push and advocate for more of what we need out here in the city of Manor," said Mayor Harvey.

Mayor Harvey said there is also a problem of how far people have to go for medical attention in the area. The teen involved in the crash had to be airflighted, but police said she is believed to be stable.

For more information on the FM 973 realignment proposal by TxDOT, click here.