MONROE, Louisiana — Five family members from Wills Point, Texas, were killed in a single-vehicle accident outside of Monroe, Louisiana, last night, according to Louisiana State Police.
MONROE, Louisiana — Five family members from Wills Point, Texas, were killed in a single-vehicle accident outside of Monroe, Louisiana, last night, according to Louisiana State Police.
The accident occurred at approximately 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19, 2014.
The family of eight were traveling eastbound on Interstate-20 (I20) near mile marker 103, approximately 12 miles from Monroe, Louisiana, when the driver of their vehicle, a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe, possibly fell asleep and veered off the highway into the center median, according to state police speaking to inForney.com.
The 16-year-old driver awoke and attempted to re-enter the highway, according to police, but over-corrected and overturned the vehicle several times. Six of the eight passengers in the vehicle were ejected — resulting in five deaths. None of the ejected passengers were wearing a seatbelt, according to police.
The family was heading to Walt Disney World in Florida at the time of the accident.
State police identified two of the adult victims as Michael and Trudi Hardman of Wills Point, Texas. Three children were also killed, their ages were 4, 7, and 15. They were all pronounced deceased at the scene by the Ouachita Parish Coroner’s Office.
Michael was a 2nd grade teacher at John F. Kennedy Elementary school in the Terrell Independent School District (ISD) in Terrell, Texas. Trudi was a kindergarten teacher in Wills Point ISD.
Three other children are in local hospitals. The driver of the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt and suffered minor injuries. The other two children sustained moderate injuries.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to all of the people affected by this tragic crash,” said Colonel Mike Edmonson, Louisiana State Police Superintendent. “Crashes like this one don’t just affect the people involved. They affect family members, friends, Troopers, first responders and the community at large. In an instance this family vacation turned into an unspeakable tragedy. I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a seatbelt anytime you are in a vehicle.”
“These kids and parents were active in the school and in the Wills Point Baseball Association,” read a statement from the Van Zandt County Emergency Management Office. “This was a wonderful family and was loved by all the kids that these wonderful teachers touched.”
"Although impairment is not suspected, a toxicology sample was obtained from the driver and will be submitted for analysis as required by law. The crash remains under investigation," Michael Reichardt with the Louisiana State Police stated in a later press release.
Texas relatives are expected to be in Louisiana today.
