By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

PELHAM—The driver of an Acura Integra involved in a May 12 crash on Helena Road was pronounced dead on May 13, according to a Pelham Police Department news release.

The Shelby County Traffic Homicide Task Force is investigating the May 12 vehicle collision on Helena Road that resulted the death of the driver.

The collision occurred around 2:35 p.m. on May 12 when an Acura Integra turned left from Wooddale Drive onto Helena Road, pulling out in front of a Mazda pickup truck traveling northbound on Helena Road.

The pickup truck “struck the driver’s side door” of the Acura, critically injuring the car’s driver, LT David Rushton of the Pelham Police Department said. The individual was airlifted to UAB Medical Center where she died from injuries sustained in the collision. As of 4:15 p.m., the Pelham Police Department has withheld the name of the deceased individual pending notification of next of kin.

The driver and the passenger of the Mazda pickup truck suffered minor injuries, and were transported to Shelby Baptist Medical Center.

Due to the “seriousness of the injuries” at the scene of the accident, the Pelham Police Department immediately contacted the Task Force for an in depth investigation.

The Task Force is a cooperation of several law enforcement agencies, including the Shelby County Sheriff, Alabaster, Pelham, Helena and Montevallo Departments, Rushton said.

The on-call teams are trained and “specialize in traffic fatalities” and collisions more serious than the “standard fender-bender,” Rushton explained. The Task Force determines causal factors in a collision through investigation and mapping techniques.

As of now, Rushton confirms there are no apparent signs of speeding in the May 12 collision. In addition, Rushton said he “did not see any signs” of a vehicle fire reported by some witnesses. However, the Task Force is working to “piece together” the events leading up to the collision.

“If a person dies (in a collision), they and their families deserve a thorough investigation,” Ruston said of the continuing investigation.