A 79-year-old Bryan woman has died as the result of injuries suffered in a three-vehicle accident on Texas 6 earlier this week involving a College Station police car.

Lillie May Williams Bayless was driving Tuesday morning behind officer James Elkins, who was responding to a report of debris in the road on the northbound lane between Harvey Road and University Drive. When the officer moved to the entrance/exit lane of the freeway, activated his emergency lights and slowed his patrol car, almost coming to a complete stop, Bayless also lowered her speed, police said.

Her Cadillac SUV was then struck from behind by a Chevrolet Tahoe, which pushed her vehicle into the patrol car, police said.

Bayless was transported to College Station Medical Center, where she died on Wednesday.

The driver of the Tahoe, 69-year-old Laura Striegler of College Station, was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital with incapacitating injuries. She was cited for failure to control speed.

Elkins was treated and released for minor injuries at St. Joseph Express.

A graveside service for Bayless will be Saturday at 11 a.m., and a visitation is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Hillier Funeral Home.

A graduate of Bryan High School, she was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Robert Bayless Jr., and a daughter, Catherine Bayless.

She spent many years traveling, and was a dedicated grandmother to her grandson, Kolby Kahlden of Caldwell.

Officer Rhonda Seaton, a spokesperson for the College Station police, said the officer was responding to a call about a bag in the middle of the roadway, but the contents had been scattered by the time he arrived.

Cars were having to swerve to avoid hitting the loose items, she said, and the debris quickly became a road hazard.

While Seaton said College Station police aren’t necessarily responsible for maintaining local roadways, they are tasked with keeping roads safe. Waiting for a Texas Department of Transportation crew to arrive on scene would have taken a while, she added.