The night before Thanksgiving was a very deadly night on Dallas roadways where five people were killed in three separate crashes.
INTERSTATE 30 NEAR DOLPHIN ROAD
At 12:09 a.m. Thursday, deputies with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office were called to a major accident along Interstate 30 near Dolphin Road. Though deputies didn't arrive until 12:37 a.m., they pulled up to find Dallas Fire-Rescue had arrived and confirmed two people had been killed and two men had been injured.
Officials have not released the identities of the two people killed but said they were a 46-year-old Black woman and a 45-year-old white woman who were both riding in a 1998 gold Toyota Camry. The identities of the women will be released after their families have been notified of their deaths.
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Before deputies arrived, DFR transported a critically injured man who was in the front passenger seat of the Camry.
Police have not revealed details about what led to the crash, but they did say a man named Travoris McFadden was arrested at the scene and is being charged with two charges of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle. McFadden is currently being held in the Lew Sterrett Justice Center. A bond amount has not been set and it's not clear if he's obtained an attorney.
A man riding in McFadden's Chevrolet Tahoe was hospitalized in stable condition.
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GOOD LATIMER EXPRESSWAY
Dallas police say two men were killed in a single-car crash at about 2:16 a.m. Police said the men were headed southbound on the 1600 block of South Good Latimer Expressway in a gray 2015 BMW M4.
Police said the driver lost control and collided with a building and then an electric pole. The vehicle then caught fire.
Dallas Fire-Rescue arrived and pronounced both men deceased at the scene. The identities of the men will be released after their families have been notified of their deaths.
INTERSTATE 30 NEAR GRAND AVENUE
Deputies with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office were called to the eastbound Interstate 30 service road near Grand Avenue at 3:51 a.m. to assist a motorist when they saw a speeding beige Toyota Tacoma move from the left-center lane to the far right lane. Deputies said the Toyota never slowed down and struck the rear of a white tractor-trailer.
Deputies left the assist motorist and headed to the Toyota to check on the driver. Upon arrival at 3:53 a.m., the driver of the 1999 Toyota Tacoma was stuck inside the truck and was unresponsive.
Deputies broke out the passenger side window to try to reach the driver. Dallas Fire-Rescue arrived at 3:59 a.m. and confirmed the driver was deceased.
The occupants of the tractor-trailer, a 33-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man, were transported to Baylor Medical Center in stable condition. A third passenger of the tractor-trailer remained at the scene.
The identity of the driver of the Toyota will be released after the family has been notified.
STATE TROOPERS RAMPING UP PATROLS OVER THANKSGIVING
The Texas Department of Public Safety said more state troopers will be enforcing traffic laws Wednesday through Sunday. In addition to speeding, troopers will be focusing on people not wearing seat belts, driving while intoxicated, and anyone failing to follow the "Move Over, Slow Down" law for emergency vehicles.
The majority of people traveling in Texas this Thanksgiving holiday -- 96% of them -- will drive rather than fly, according to AAA Texas. The organization predicts 2021 will bring the highest single-year increase in travel for Thanksgiving since 2005.
"This Thanksgiving more people will be out and it's important to remember it's up to each one of us to keep the roads safe," DPS Director Steven McCraw said. "DPS will do its part to keep Texas safe by holding people accountable, and we want everyone who may be driving for the holiday to do their part by obeying all traffic laws, so everyone gets to their destinations unharmed."
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas is on track to see more than 4,000 roadway fatalities this year. That's a significant increase from last year and the most in nearly four decades.
“Sadly, we average about 10 fatalities a day. That’s 10 people who aren’t going home to their family every day," spokesperson Tony Hartzel said.
He said that people traveling long distances, rushing, driving tired and distracted are all factors.
