FORNEY, Texas — Three people were killed in a fiery wrong-way head-on collision on U.S. Highway 80 just west of Forney early Saturday morning — forcing the closure of the highway.
The wreck was reported at approximately 1:34 a.m. on eastbound U.S. Highway 80 just west of the Farm-to-Market (FM) 460 overpass.
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesperson Trooper Kyle Bradford said a black Ford Edge was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes when it struck a red Mercury Sabre. Both drivers were pronounced deceased at the scene.
A female passenger in the Ford Edge was transported to Lake Pointe Medical Center in Forney, Texas, in critical condition. Bradford said she was later pronounced deceased at approximately 3 a.m. due to injuries sustained in the crash
The driver of the Ford Edge was identified by DPS as 49-year-old Thomas Rutledge, the passenger was identified as 44-year-old Gina Longshore, and the driver of the Mercury was identified as 21-year-old Alfonso Flores, all of Forney, Texas.
"Information we do have, is that both vehicles are from Forney," Bradford said at a 5 a.m. update at the crash scene.
Just last month, DPS arrested an intoxicated wrong-way driver in the same stretch of highway and two people were killed in a separate incident involving a wrong-way head-on collision on U.S. Highway 175 in Crandall.
"The best thing we can tell drivers is to be attentive," Bradford said. "A big problem we are having, more or less, is distractions in the vehicle. The main focus of that is cell phone usage but, however, anything that takes your eyes off the road is a distraction."
"The best thing to do is possibly drive in the far right lane and just be extremely attentive of your surroundings and driving conditions," stated Bradford.
U.S. Highway 80 is expected to remain closed until at least 6 a.m.
This is a developing story.
Fatal crash updateTxDPS Trooper Kyle Bradford gives 5 a.m. update on fiery wrong-way, head-on collision in #Forney area which resulted in three deaths. STORY: http://inforney.com/local-news/item/4231-two-killed-one-critically-injured-in-fiery-head-on-collision-on-u-s-highway-80Posted by Mathew Richards inForney.com on Saturday, March 5, 2016
