Lubbock Police said a crash Friday afternoon near 34th and West Loop took the life of a man.
A photojournalist at the scene said a car was leaving Costco and the driver’s view was blocked by a semi. The car pulled out in front of an oncoming car on 34th. A man was taken to University Medical Center by EMS, and the man later died. A woman was taken to Covenant Medical Center. She was later released.
Late in the day, police said the man who died was Clyde Kirkham, 84. Kirkham was driving a Pontiac Sunfire, according to police. The driver of a KIA was identified as Tohi Dawn Betenbough, 47.
Lubbock Police released the following statement:
Lubbock Police Accident Investigation team was called to the scene of a two vehicle crash in the 5900 block of 34th Street at 12:29 p.m.
A Pontiac Sunfire was exiting the Costco parking lot turning eastbound. A KIA passenger car was westbound on 34th Street. The driver of the Pontiac failed to yield the right of way to the KIA and they collided.
The driver of the Pontiac was transported to UMC where where he later died. The driver of the KIA suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Covenant Medical Center.
Investigation is ongoing.
“It’s tough. I mean, the traffic in Lubbock now has gone ballistic anyway,” said Tommy White, a lubbock resident. “Anywhere in Lubbock is really bad but this Costco thing is getting really bad. People don’t have the patience anymore, that they used to have.”
“Whenever it does get busy it can be kind of hard to get in and out of Costco especially with the loop so close together,” said Lubbock resident Roman Granados. “Everybody’s trying to get in here as fast as they can.
“Just watch your speed and there’s not much to do,” he added.
LPD Lieutenant Ray Mendoza said booming business in West Lubbock could play a role in increased traffic.
“We’re stepping up our patrols trying to do everything we can to slow people down,” he said. “We’re just going to have to ask people to take that upon themselves to be more cautious. Be aware that the city is growing, that there’s a lot more traffic especially commercial traffic in that area. And so just slow down and pay attention to the road.”
Watch the associated video for additional details.
