WESTMINSTER, TX (06/06/2017) — Authorities have identified the four people killed in yesterday’s fatal chain-reaction crash on Highway 121, which also left nine injured.
UPDATE 06/16/2017: 24-year-old Heather Trimble has died more than a week after the crash which took the lives of her parents and two teenagers. A GoFundMe fundraiser page has been set up to help assist the family.
According to Texas Highway Patrol, a rear-end collision led to a chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles on State Highway 121 Tuesday afternoon at around 4:04 p.m. The accident occurred in the northbound lanes of SH-121 near County Road 528 (NE Collin County).
Four teenagers were traveling northbound on 121 in a silver Pontiac Grand Prix when the driver slowed to make a left turn and was rear-ended by the driver of a red Dodge pickup truck. The impact caused the Pontiac to spin into the southbound lane of traffic where it collided with a Ford Focus and a blue Subaru. The Subaru traveled into a ditch and rolled onto its side, while the Focus veered into the northbound lane where it struck a Ford F-450 utility truck.
DPS officials reported that two passengers in the Pontiac were killed. They have been identified as 15-year-old Abigail Kendall and 15-year-old Brianna Gesino. The driver of the Pontiac—16-year-old Zoe Wilson—and another passenger—16-year-old Madison Kenney—were taken to Medical City McKinney Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
Two passengers in the Ford Focus were also killed in the crash. They have been identified as 51-year-old Wayne Trimble and 51-year-old Julie Trimble (of Ivanhoe). The driver of the Focus, 24-year-old Heather Trimble, and her 4-year-old daughter Matilda were transported to Medical City Plano Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Reports show that Heather Trimble was in her eighth month of pregnancy at the time of the crash, and that her baby (named Hadley) was delivered at the hospital.
The driver of the Ford F-450 utility truck, 62-year-old Billy Vanhoose (of Rowlett), was transported to an Medical Center Plano Hospital via air ambulance (CareFlite) with serious injuries. The driver of the Subaru, 17-year-old Emrie Morris (of Allen), was taken to Medical City McKinney for treatment of serious injuries.
The three occupants of the red Dodge pickup truck—45-year-old Anne Spann, 42-year-old Christopher B. Spann, and 14-year-old Christopher A. Spann, Jr. (all of Bailey)—were transported to Medical City McKinney Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
DPS Trooper Lonny Haschel stated that investigators are going to conduct a complete and thorough accident investigation and will remain focused until they can piece everything together. “The investigators are doing a reconstruction of the crash scene. They’re mapping the scene, taking a look at all the physical evidence that’s on the roadway, marks, skid marks… They’re taking inventory of the cars, taking down VIN numbers, looking at tire pressure. Everything that goes into these investigations is very extensive.”
Commentary
This is clearly a very tragic crash, and our thoughts go out to everyone affected. Police have not said whether or not the driver of the pickup truck would be ticketed for failing to maintain a safe distance (or if any charges would be filed), but the investigation is ongoing. We will provide updates as more information is released.
If you have any additional information about this fatal accident, please leave a comment below.
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