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18-wheeler driver accused of killing woman in suspected DWI crash in Fort Worth

By
Updated  September 19, 2024 4:58pm CDT
Fort Worth
FOX 4

Semi-truck driver accused in deadly DWI crash

The driver of a semi-truck has been arrested, accused of driving drunk that killed a woman and injured a man in a Fort Worth crash. Police say the crash was completely avoidable.

The Brief:

    • One person is dead and one in serious condition after a crash on W. Loop 820 South Freeway and White Settlement Road early Thursday morning.
    • All lanes of W. Loop 820 South Freeway were closed for an investigation.
    • Police arrested the driver of an 18-wheeler for intoxication manslaughter.

FORT WORTH, Texas - The driver of a semi-truck has been arrested, accused of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed a woman and injured a man in a Fort Worth crash.

The crash happened Thursday around 1:30 a.m. on West Loop 820.

Fort Worth police say it was a crash that was completely avoidable. 

"Traffic was at a stop. There was a semi-truck that was driving and did not stop and collided with the vehicle directly in front of it," explained Fort Worth Police Officer Brad Perez.

The woman driving the vehicle that was struck did not survive. Her passenger, a 41-year-old man, was seriously injured.

Now, Fort Worth police say the semi-truck driver who caused the collision, 24-year-old Guadalupe Velasquez Cruz, was drunk. 

"There were signs that he may have been intoxicated," said Perez. "So some DWI officers made the location, performed some field sobriety tests, took a sample of his blood, and it came back that he was indeed intoxicated. So he was placed under arrest and charged with intoxication manslaughter."

The crash happened along West Loop 820 at White Settlement Road. It was 1:30 a.m. when ordinarily traffic would not be busy. However, there was a backup due to construction work. 

"It was all compressed down to one lane, and it was at a stop," said Perez. "So as you can imagine, it starts to become congested, no matter what time of day that would be."

The investigation is ongoing with detectives searching for answers relating to Velasquez-Cruz, who is now charged with a woman’s death.

"It’s bad enough when a DWI occurs, but we’re talking a semi-truck with a driver that’s responsible for a very powerful machine that can cause death — which it actually did.  That’s the unfortunate thing," said Perez. "Why was this person intoxicated? Why were they driving a semi-truck in that state?"

There was a third vehicle involved. The impact caused the victim’s car to hit the person in front of her. Police believe the people in that car were not injured.

The Source:

  • Information from this article comes from FOX 4's photojournalist Terry Van Sickle and the Fort Worth Police Department.

Fort WorthTrafficCrime and Public Safety