VICTORIA, Texas—Authorities say five people have been killed and seven injured in a three-vehicle accident in South Texas.
The Department of Public Safety says the crash happened around 11 a.m. Saturday on U.S. 59, 5 miles northeast of Victoria.
Sgt. Ruben San Miguel says investigators are trying to determine why a northbound van hit the left rear of a northbound semi pulling a flatbed trailer. The van then struck a southbound pickup truck.
Five people in the van died at the scene—the female driver, two men and two children. Five others in the van were injured.
The pickup driver and a passenger were hospitalized in serious but stable condition. The driver of the semi wasn’t hurt.
DPS says visibility was clear and the road was dry.
3-Year-Old Among 7 Killed in Georgia Chain-Reaction Crash
In a similar multi-vehicle crash earlier this month, seven people including a 3-year-old child were killed in a chain-reaction crash in northern Georgia.
The wreck occurred on July 6 about 80 miles northeast of Atlanta on Interstate 85, not far from its approach to the Georgia state line with South Carolina.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office told news outlets on July 7 that three people were killed in one vehicle. They were 33-year-old Chris Years, 34-year-old Ashley Years, and 3-year-old Luna Years. They lived in Paulding County.
Four people were killed in another vehicle. They were 53-year-old Alejandro Agis Perez, 39-year-old Noe Gutierrez Cerna, 25-year-old Oswaldo F. Hi Navarrete and 36-year-old Eugenio Santoyo Serna. They were from Hall County.
The police statement said a northbound Ford Excursion crossed the median for unknown reasons and entered the southbound lanes of the normally bustling interstate.
There, police said, that SUV struck a Chevrolet van that was headed south, causing a chain-reaction crash in the southbound lanes that also involved a Ford van in a nearby lane. The impact of the collisions sent debris flying that also caused minor damage to two additional vehicles, according to the statement.
All four occupants of the Chevrolet were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. No one in the Ford van was reported hurt.
Cellphone images obtained by news outlets showed mangled vehicles on the roadway after the crash.
A wrong-way car crash on a Georgia highway leaves 7 dead https://t.co/5SpPrpWYn7
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (@PittsburghPG) July 8, 2019
A Ford Excursion was traveling north on Interstate 85 when it crossed over the median and struck a Chevrolet van traveling south.https://t.co/9KQ27kJXIX
— KFI AM 640 (@KFIAM640) July 7, 2019
