TERRELL, TX – Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are examining whether driver fatigue may have contributed to a fatal truck crash that took place on I-20 in Terrell over the weekend, CBS Texas reports.
Authorities say that the fatal collision occurred at about 2:40 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, when Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni rear-ended a Ford F-150 carrying five passengers. Gonzalez-Companioni had fallen asleep at the wheel and did not notice stopped traffic ahead.
The initial collision caused Gonzalez-Companioni’s to subsequently collide with two other semi-trucks, one of which jack-knifed and collided with a Ford Mustang, a Jeep Compass, and a Honda passenger vehicle of unspecified model.
Four occupants of the F-150 died as the result of a collision, while a fifth was airlifted to a hospital. An occupant of the Compass was also killed in the crash.
Gonzalez-Companioni, 27, works for Hope Trans LLC, a carrier operating out of Orlando, FL. NTSB officials say that Hope Trans LLC trucks have been involved in three injury accidents over the last 24 months, though none of those proved fatal. The company, which has been in business since 2021, employs 80 drivers and operates 65 trucks. NTSB authorities are investigating whether the driver’s fatigue was the result of Hours of Service violations.
Have your been injured or lost a loved one to a truck accident that involved a fatigued driver? If so, the team at Truck Accident Lawyers LLC wants to hear from you. Contact us today to speak with a compassionate big rig attorney in Texas, and we’ll review your case for free. You can reach us online or by phone at (888) 774-5836.