Mother, grandmother driving to South Padre Island killed in wrong way Hwy. 121 crash
2 North Richland Hills women killed in wrong-way crash
Family friends say a mother and grandmother were among those killed by a wrong-way driver overnight on Highway 121 in Fort Worth on Tuesday. FOX 4's Peyton Yager has more.
FORT WORTH, Texas - A family from North Richland Hills was heading to South Padre Island overnight when a wrong-way driver crashed into their vehicle, killing a mother and grandmother and critically injuring an 11-year-old girl.
Highway 121 fatal crash
What we know:
The crash happened shortly after 1:20 a.m. along Airport Freeway near North Riverside Drive, according to the Fort Worth Police Department. Officers responding to the scene determined that an adult driving a Jeep was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of State Highway 121.
Westbound lanes closed on SH 121 due to deadly overnight crash
Three people were killed and two others hospitalized after a wrong way driver caused a head-on collision on Airport Freeway in Fort Worth early Tuesday.
Investigators said the Jeep was moving through lane two when it swiped a vehicle carrying three people. That driver tried to steer clear of the oncoming SUV but was struck on the rear driver’s side. None of the three occupants in that vehicle suffered major injuries, authorities said.
The Jeep continued traveling the wrong way eastbound before crashing head-on into a four-door sedan carrying a family from North Richland Hills.
Family friends say they were headed to South Padre Island overnight when the accident occurred.
The driver of the Jeep died at the scene. Two passengers in the sedan, the family's mother and grandmother, also died at the scene.
The adult male driver of the sedan and an 11-year-old child passenger were taken to local hospitals.
FOX 4 is not naming any of the victims until their identities are released by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner or family.
The Texas Department of Transportation tells FOX 4 that a sensor recognized the wrong way driver. The first call to 911 came from TxDOT, the only call made prior to the fatal crash.
"Just trying to process it all"
What they're saying:
"Out of nowhere, there was a big brake in the middle of the highway, and we exited, and that is where I saw the giant fireball."
Carlos Martínez, an Uber driver, remembers a white sedan pulling in front of him on Highway 121, minutes before that sedan was involved in the fatal crash.
Martinez shot video showing the fiery aftermath of the crash.
Carlos Martinez
"To know that, ‘Hey, you were seconds away from that being you,’ and so many losses," Martinez told FOX 4's Peyton Yager.
Family friend Debbie Ware is driving from Fredericksburg to offer support for the child, who is still in the hospital.
"Today, I am just trying to process it all," Ware told Yager.
Ware says the girl has two broken arms, a broken leg and a broken foot. She's been sedated since the accident.
"She doesn't know about her mom and her grandmother yet," Ware said."
Debbie Ware
What's next:
The Fort Worth Police Department’s Traffic Investigation Unit was at the scene gathering evidence and reconstructing the crash sequence. The highway reopened around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
What you can do:
Authorities are asking anyone who may have video footage of the incident or additional information to contact the Fort Worth Police Department at 817-392-4222.
The Source: Information in this story comes from interviews with witnesses and family friends and the Fort Worth Police Department.