One person was killed, and six others were hospitalized early Monday after a wrong-way driver caused a fiery crash on the Dallas North Tollway.
The crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. in the southbound lanes near Royal Lane. According to police, a passenger vehicle traveling northbound in the southbound lanes sideswiped an 18-wheeler before striking another vehicle head-on.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene. Six others were transported to area hospitals with critical injuries, police said.
Authorities have not released the identity of the deceased or clarified whether they were the wrong-way driver or an occupant of another vehicle. The conditions of the surviving victims were not disclosed, and no names have been released as the investigation continues.
Police have not determined why the driver was traveling in the wrong direction.
The crash highlights a troubling trend in Texas, which leads the nation in wrong-way accidents, according to research by the AAA Foundation and the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). AAA reports that about 500 people die annually nationwide in wrong-way crashes, with Texas alone accounting for more than 70 fatalities each year. These collisions, often head-on and at high speeds, are particularly deadly, with about half of Texas’ wrong-way accidents resulting in debilitating injuries or death.
Wrong-way collisions are five times more likely in non-daylight hours, particularly in the early morning, as was the case in Monday’s crash. Left-side exit ramps and transitions from one-way streets to freeways are frequent trouble spots, and the inside lane of divided highways is a common site for these accidents.
The AAA Foundation identified several risk factors for wrong-way driving, including driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, being aged 20-29 or over 70, and holding a suspended, revoked, or expired license. Men account for about two-thirds of wrong-way drivers.