Defunct Crossing Signal May Have Led To Teen's Death
GARLAND (CBSDFW.COM) - The family of 14-year-old Ty'lajah Herford, who died after she was struck by a car, is outraged about new information about the incident.
Six weeks after police said their daughter was at fault when she was struck and killed, Herford's parents have found out the pedestrian crossing signal may not have been working at the Garland intersection where it happened.
"Had I known that this crosswalk was not working, there's no way in the world I would let my daughter even walk to school," said Ty'lajah's mother Natasha Herford.
A work order obtained by CBS 11's shows that the signal was tested two days after the teen died from massive head injuries.
A City of Garland maintenance crew "found all buttons functional except the P08 button on the north east corner crossing Broadway from east to west Chevron corner to the May China corner."
The P08 button is what Ty'lajah and her friends would have pushed before crossing the busy four lane road.
"We think that may go to show the light wasn't working on the day of the accident," said Herford's attorney, Benjamin Palatiere.
Documents show the 20 mph school zone speed limit through the intersection ended at 4 p.m. that day. Ty'lajah was in class until 3:50, giving her only 10 minutes to walk 1.2 miles home from Lyles Middle School.
Her parents are considering a lawsuit against the city for negligence and are questioning how seriously Garland takes the safety of students walking to and from school.
"I don't want any mother to go through what I'm going through" said the young teen's mother.
Herford was taken by ambulance to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas where she was pronounced dead.
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