Two Men Killed in Early-Morning Wrong-Way Crash

Highway 287 closed for hours Monday

Two men, one celebrating a birthday and the other a father of two, were killed in a wrong-way crash on U.S. Highway 287 in Fort Worth early Monday morning.

Christopher Brookins, 24, and Eric Jordan, who turned 25 at midnight, had been out with friends celebrating his birthday. After the party, the pair left in Brookins' new Cadillac.

Brookins somehow ended up getting on 287 headed in the wrong direction.  Shortly after 2 a.m., Brookins collided head-on with an oncoming tow truck near Riverside Drive.

The crash killed both Brookins and Jordan. The tow truck driver suffered a broken leg and was transported to an area hospital.  The highway was closed for four hours while investigators worked to clear the scene.

Brookins' fiance, Michelle Carter, said she's lost and confused as to how she's lost the love of her life.

"We have kids together and the youngest is five months, so he's going to grow up without even knowning his dad -- who he was or what kind of person he was," Carter said.

Carl Carter, Michelle's uncle, told NBC 5 that their families are having a hard time dealing with Brookins' death and that the families were very close friends.

Val Lopez, with the Texas Department of Transportation, said the 287 corridor is not one where there are traditionally a lot of problems of this nature.

"We'll be checking to see if that location is adequately signed and adequately marked.  These tend to happen late at night, and generally speaking, drivers tend to be impaired or distracted.

Investigators have not yet determined how Brookins ended up going in the wrong direction on the highway. 

NBC 5's Kevin Cokely and Chris Van Horne contributed to this report.

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