A family of four was killed in a devastating highway crash after a semi-truck driver reportedly fell asleep behind the wheel, authorities say.
The tragic incident unfolded Saturday on Interstate 20 in Kaufman County, Texas, when the truck plowed into the back of a pickup carrying five people, according to local reports. The semi then slammed into multiple other vehicles, including two 18-wheelers and three passenger cars, sparking what first responders described as a “mass casualty event.”
Four members of the same family inside the pickup were pronounced dead at the scene. A fifth passenger, also in the truck, was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries.
The driver of the semi-truck, 27-year-old Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni, has been arrested and charged with five counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to police, he admitted to dozing off just moments before the violent chain-reaction crash.
Local fire officials called the scene catastrophic, with mangled vehicles and debris stretching across the highway. The impact was so severe that some victims had to be extricated from the wreckage.
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and more charges could follow. The names of the victims have not yet been released pending notification of family members.
Drivers in the area were stuck in hours-long delays as emergency crews worked to clear the wreckage and reconstruct the crash. Officials are urging commercial drivers to take fatigue seriously, warning that one moment of inattention can lead to unimaginable tragedy.
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Author: thedailycrime1
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