MERKEL, TX (06/30/2015) — Four people were killed, and two others were injured, after a head-on collision involving an 18-wheeler.
UPDATE: An additional victim has passed, and the names of the victims have now been released. This story has been updated to reflect those changes.
According to police, a head-on crash between an 18-wheeler and passenger car has killed four people and left two hospitalized early Tuesday morning on Interstate 20, near exit 269, in Merkel, Texas.
Merkel Police Department Sgt. Chris Ortiz stated that around 5:00 a.m. this morning, a westbound 18-wheeler crossed the I-20 median, through the cable barrier, and collided with an eastbound passenger vehicle head-on.
Three of the four occupants in the passenger vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene. They included:
- 50-year-old Doyle Knight, of Barry, TX
- 51-year-old Mary Knight, also of Barry, TX
- A minor child who was not identified
A fourth individual riding in the passenger vehicle, 23-year-old Drew Reynolds, was pronounced dead at Hendrick Medical Center at 2:07 p.m.
According to Ortiz, the driver and passenger of the 18-wheeler were also injured and sent to Hendrick Medical Center for treatment.
Further details have not yet been released, as this incident remains under investigation.
Commentary
One has to wonder how an accident like this was able to occur. How did the truck driver cross an entire grass median and into oncoming traffic? Did the truck driver fall asleep? Our thoughts go out to the families of those involved, and we hope that a thorough investigation reveals exactly what led to this tragic accident.
While 18-wheeler trucks do play an important role in our economy, they clearly have the potential to cause great harm. Accidents between 18-wheelers and passenger cars often result in tragic, and oftentimes fatal outcomes. Trucking companies know this, and this is the reason that truckers are governed by an additional set of federal FMCSA regulations.
It’s important to understand that because of these additional laws, car accidents involving semi trucks should NOT be treated the same as passenger car accidents. For more information, please read this article on 18-wheeler truck accidents.
