Six people killed in fiery Fort Worth crash

FORT WORTH, Texas - There were no survivors after an early morning crash Monday in north Fort Worth.

The accident that killed six people happened just before 2 a.m. on Northside Drive near the North Freeway. A pickup truck reportedly went off the road and into a wooded area. It crashed into a tree and caught fire.

“Traveled across this vacant lot and into the woods at a high rate of speed because it crashed through several trees. Ended up striking a very large tree and catching fire,” said Capt. R.L. Krouse with the Fort Worth Fire Department.

All five people that were in the truck died in the crash.

Police say the truck slammed head-on into a tree just in front of the spot where a homeless man was camping.

“The homeless person, we had no idea they had a camp back here,” said Fort Worth Police Officer Buddy Calzado. “We actually thought he was in the bed of the truck or had crawled out of the vehicle itself. Come to find out that wasn't true.”

Police say the homeless man suffered severe burns, but he managed to crawl to the roadway. First responders encountered him first. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he later died.

Investigators say the medical examiner will likely take days to identify the victims as they were badly burned. Meantime, they search for any evidence that the driver may have been impaired.

The one thing they seem certain about is that speed was a critical factor.

"I would mostly have to point this toward speed,” Calzado said. “You can see where the vehicle went off the roadway. It wasn't actually on the curve. It was just prior to the curve."