A North Texas driver died in a fiery crash early Wednesday morning, the Plano Police Department reported.
The department posted on social media that the driver was traveling southbound on the Dallas North Tollway service road when the vehicle “left the roadway and crashed into an electrical box” at 2:23 a.m. on August 16. The vehicle caught fire shortly after the collision, with the driver still inside.
Emergency personnel arrived on the scene and were able to remove the driver from the vehicle, but the individual was pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the driver has not been released pending identification by the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office and notification of kin.
There were no other occupants inside the vehicle.
The collision occurred on Dallas Parkway at Chapel Hill Boulevard, near the Shops at Willow Bend Mall in Plano, according to WFAA. In television news footage and images police shared of the scene, the crashed vehicle can be identified as a dark-colored SUV.
Police tweeted an image of the North Texas Tollway Authority electrical box after the crash. The picture shows the damaged concrete barrier surrounding the box blackened by smoke. City workers can be seen in the picture.
02:23 Fatality Crash
single vehicle was S/B on the DNT service road, left the roadway, and crashed into an electrical box. The vehicle caught fire, the driver was pronounced deceased at the scene. Identification pending notification of kin. Unk cause at this time.— Plano Police (Texas) (@PlanoPoliceDept) August 16, 2023
Officials with the Traffic Unit are still investigating the events behind the collision, but speed is believed to have been a contributing factor in the crash, Plano police stated.
“Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy, including all of the family, witnesses, NTTA and our first responders. We would remind all drivers to stay alert and drive safely at all times,” the police department added.
Another fatal accident in nearby Dallas over the weekend left one dead and one injured. The driver of the vehicle was killed after crashing through a home on the 6300 block of South Lancaster Road in Oak Cliff on August 13, The Dallas Express reported. The circumstances surrounding this crash also remain unclear.
A passenger in the vehicle was injured, but the two occupants in the home escaped unharmed.