The Texas Department of Public Safety reported that a man was detained in connection with a crash near Terrell that killed five people and injured numerous more after he fell asleep behind the wheel on Saturday.
Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni, 27, is charged with many offences, including manslaughter.
The crash occurred at approximately 2:40 p.m. Saturday on I-20 near Hiram Road, when Gonzalez-Companioni allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel of his 18-wheeler, failing to see halted traffic. He hit a Ford F-150 carrying five persons.
The 18-wheeler driven by Gonzalez-Companioni was then forced into two other 18-wheelers, forcing one to jackknife and collide with a Jeep Compass, a Ford Mustang, and a Honda passenger vehicle, according to Texas DPS.
The Terrell Volunteer Fire Department called the crash “horrific” and designated it a “mass casualty” incident. Emergency services rushed to the area, closing traffic in both directions while first responders assisted the injured and investigators sought to discover the cause.
Four of the five persons in the Ford F-150 were pronounced dead on the scene, while the fifth was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition, according to a DPS news release.
According to the DPS, one person in the Jeep Compass struck by the jackknifed semi was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The victims’ names have not been made public at this time. The enquiry into the crash is still underway.
Gonzalez-Companioni is now detained in Kaufman County.