As a result of a collision with halted traffic on Saturday afternoon in Kaufman County, Texas Department of Public Safety reports that a large truck driver fell asleep behind the wheel, resulting in the deaths of four members of the McKellar family from Fort Worth. One of the family members is still in serious condition.
Family members have stated that Kason McKellar, who was 15 years old at the time of the accident, along with his sister Evan, their parents Shaun and Zabar, and their grandfather Billy McKellar were all driving on Interstate 20. Evan was the only person to survive, and she is currently being revived in the hospital where she is still fighting for her life.
It has been determined that Nicole Gregory, a Dallas resident who was 49 years old, was the driver of another vehicle that was involved in the accident. The total number of fatalities was five.
Alexis Gonzalez-Companioni, who is 27 years old, was taken into custody and charged with five counts of manslaughter and one case of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as stated by the Department of Public Safety.
The identities of the five people who were killed in the collision that occurred on Tuesday night were made public by the authorities. An attorney who represents the McKellar family stated that members of the family are experiencing grief.
“Obviously, in talking to one of the family members earlier, it’s a terrible tragedy, with how many people were lost in this entire family, with one struggling to stay alive,” said John Nohinek, a managing attorney with Witherite Law Group. “It’s a terrible tragedy.”
In a statement, Nohinek stated, “We represent the father of the mother who was killed in this accident.” “He also lost a grandchild, and he’s got a grandchild clinging for her life.”
According to Nohinek, he had a meeting with the family on Tuesday morning, and he stated that they had learned about the four members of the family who had been killed, as well as an adult granddaughter who is still being treated in the hospital. There was a journey to East Texas, according to Nohinek, and the family was going to return home.
“Our focus as attorneys turns toward trying to locate the source, from a legal standpoint, of the wreck,” Nohinek explained to reporters.
According to him, every tractor-trailer is equipped with a “black box” similar to that of an airliner. It was said by him that the electronic control modules and other devices have the capability to display the speed of the truck at the time of the accident, whether or not it was in cruise control, the length of time the truck was on the road, the maintenance history, and a great deal of other information.
We are working hard to ensure that we receive this information as quickly as possible while the family is in a state of mourning. In order to obtain a sense of what was going on inside that vehicle at the moment, it is really crucial to have this knowledge,” noted Nohinek.
DPS announced on Monday that Hope Trans LLC will be the business that will be operating the large rig. In comparison to the national average for trucking companies, the percentage of out-of-service violations committed by the company’s trucks is much greater, according to data provided by the United States Department of Transportation.
This carrier was subjected to 146 inspections on the side of the road in the year 2024, and they were found to have 159 violations. The percentage of their trucks that were assessed to be out of service was 33.8 percent, which is more than ten percent more than the average for the entire country. In light of this, it is clear that we are dealing with a particular kind of business,” Nohinek stated.
An accident that occurred on Interstate 20 near Terrell resulted in the deaths of four members of a family from Fort Worth. According to the investigators, the accident occurred when a truck driver fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed into halted traffic. There is still one member of the family who is in critical condition.
According to Nohinek, their law company is already in the process of obtaining access to the “black box,” but they have stated that as the inquiry is still ongoing, it may take longer to view the data.
“They need to get all the information necessary before they let in civilians, attorneys,” he further pointed out.
I spoke with a number of loved ones and members of the family, and they all stated that they are not ready to talk at this time.
“It is abundantly clear that the family is in despair,” stated Nohinek. During our conversation earlier today at their residence, we learned that they are having difficulty with this.
For the purpose of providing assistance to the North Texas family, a GoFundMe account has been established.
The McKellar family had been active with the Hallmark Eagles youth sports program in Fort Worth for many years, and Kason had begun playing football when he was 11 years old. The loss was strongly felt by the Hallmark Eagles.
According to Newton Braziel, who is a member of the Hallmark Eagles, “it’s bad enough if it’s just one person whenever something just like that happens.” “But when it’s a family, man, your heart just can’t help but go out.”
In the wake of the tragedy, the program has stated that it is attempting to provide a mechanism for its community to provide assistance to the McKellar family.
As a coach, Anthony Bartee expressed his sentiments on Kason, saying, “His loss touched a lot of families and a lot of friends.” “When my son told me about it last night, it really broke my spirits.”
When the Department of Public Safety said on Monday that a sixth person had passed away and that all five persons in the damaged Ford F-150 had died, the authorities clarified on Tuesday that only five victims had passed away as a result of the accident.
