Four people are dead and 10 others are injured after a major rollover crash on U.S. Highway 287 in Wise County on Wednesday morning, the Texas DPS says.
Officials were called to a single-vehicle crash near the Farm-to-Market Road 1655 exit on northbound 287 in Alvord at about 8 a.m.
"Preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle left the roadway, the driver overcorrected, causing it to lose control, which caused the vehicle to roll over multiple times," Texas DPS spokesperson Tony De La Cerda said.
Officials said 13 of the 14 people inside the passenger bus were ejected during the crash. It was traumatic for people driving by, including Paige Caffrey, who got emotional while recalling what she saw on her way to work at Allsup's.
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“I saw a bunch of cop cars and the fire truck, the ambulance. There was a helicopter that was landed," Caffrey said. "Then I saw the car accident. It was pretty awful. I saw a body.”
Wise County EMS officials said several ambulances, medical helicopters, and the Alvord police and fire departments responded to the "mass casualty incident."
Texas DPS officials said three people were confirmed dead at the scene, including the driver. Another passenger later died at the hospital. Three people were transported to local hospitals by air ambulance in critical condition, and eight others were transported by ground ambulance. None of the victims have been identified but DPS confirmed all are adults.
"There were multiple ejections, and 13 out of those 14 people received some type of injury, and of course, three were deceased," Sgt. Tony De La Cerda, from the Texas Department of Public Safety, said. "So just seeing all these people on the road, on the grass, that is very difficult because we have to be able to keep our composure and be able to treat every single one to the best of our ability until EMS arrives."
De La Cerda said only one of the 14 people in the van was wearing a seat belt. That person walked away from the crash and was evaluated at a nearby hospital as a precaution.
"Seat belts save lives. We emphasize that every holiday, every weekend, every day. Wearing your seat belt is going to save your life. In this case, only one person was wearing their seat belt and was able to walk away and was transported for precautionary measures," De La Cerda said.
No other injuries have been reported, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Texas DPS officials said the van was coming from Florida, but they do not yet know where it was going or who owned the vehicle.
The road was closed for several hours Wednesday while the crash was investigated. The northbound lanes reopened to traffic sometime Wednesday afternoon.
