4 dead and 10 injured in van crash in Texas

Four people died and ten others were injured in a serious rollover accident on US Highway 287 in Wise County, Texas on Wednesday morning, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

Around 8 a.m., officers were called to a car crash near the Farm-to-Market Road 1655 exit on 287 northbound in Alvord.

“Preliminary investigation indicates that the vehicle left the road and the driver oversteered, causing him to lose control and the vehicle to roll over several times,” said Tony De La Cerda, spokesman for the Texas DPS.

Officials said 13 of the 14 people in the van were ejected in the crash. It was a traumatic experience for people driving by, including Paige Caffrey, who became emotional as she recalled what she saw on her way to work at Allsup's.

“I saw a line of police cars and the fire truck and the ambulance. A helicopter had landed,” Caffrey said. “Then I saw the car crash. It was pretty horrific. I saw a dead body.”

Wise County Emergency Services officials said multiple ambulances, rescue helicopters, and Alvord police and fire departments responded to the “mass casualty incident.”

Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation said three people died at the scene, including the driver. Another passenger later died at the hospital. Three people were taken to local hospitals by rescue helicopter in critical condition, and eight others were taken by ambulance. None of the victims have been identified.

“There were several ejections and 13 of the 14 people suffered injuries and of course three died,” said De La Cerda. “Seeing all these people on the street and on the lawn is very difficult because we have to keep our composure and treat each one as best as we can until the emergency services arrive.”

De La Cerda said only one of the 14 people in the van was wearing a seat belt. That person survived the accident and was examined at a nearby hospital as a precaution.

“Seat belts save lives. We stress that every holiday, every weekend, every day. Fastening your seat belt saves your life. In this case, only one person was buckled in and was able to free himself and was transported away as a precaution,” said De La Cerda.

No other injuries were reported and no other vehicles were involved in the accident.

Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation said the van came from Florida, but they did not yet know where it was headed or who owned the vehicle.

The road was closed for several hours on Wednesday while the accident was investigated. The northbound lanes were reopened to traffic on Wednesday afternoon.