All lanes of I-30 at Dalrock open after pileup over Lake Ray Hubbard

ROWLETT –– Dallas police say a 23-year-old man was arrested for intoxication assault in connection with a 13-vehicle pileup that shuttered Interstate 30 in both directions over Lake Ray Hubbard before dawn Friday.

Christopher Anthony Sosa was arrested and charged Friday morning, according to a police spokesperson. He was booked into the Dallas County Jail. It's not clear whether Sosa caused the accident –– heavy fog is also suspected to have played a role.

At about 7:50 p.m., more than 16 hours after the crash, all lanes at Dalrock Road were reopened.

While the accident spurred traffic woes for drivers, it also created a problem for some area businesses.

"Everybody nowadays is in a hurry to get somewhere," said Brian Vosburg, an employee at Parkway Car Care, which is located along Highway 66. "And when you get stuck in something like that there are no words to describe it."

Vosburg said on average he works on 12 to 18 vehicles a day. Friday, he worked on three.

The owner of the business said their supplier of vehicle parts was stuck in traffic, which put the business two days behind.

"If I'm not turning wrenches working on cars, I'm not making a whole lot of money," Vosburg said.

TxDOT sent crews to help control traffic on either side of Lake Ray Hubbard and repair the 500 feet of concrete median barrier that was damaged in the wreck, said Tony Hartzle, department spokesman.

“Both directions are going to be shut down for multiple hours; motorists need to find an alternate route around this area just to stay away,” Hartzle said in the midst of the cleanup. “The detours are going to be fairly substantial for the next couple of hours.”

As dawn broke over the lake, Dallas police Sgt. David Conley said the wreck involved six 18-wheelers and seven cars. A total of eight people were taken to Baylor Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, said Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans.

One of the 18-wheelers visibly jack-knifed into the median before coming to a stop. A trail of debris was scattered about the four-lane highway behind it. Fog was a likely culprit in the collision, Hartzle said. Not long before the crash, The National Weather Service issued a Dense Fog Advisory that expired at 9 a.m. as visibility in some areas dipped to below a quarter of a mile. The NWS advises drivers to slow down and use their low-beam headlights when driving through fog.

Eastbound drivers were forced to take the Zion Road exit while those headed west took the Ridge Road exit. Both were significantly backed up at 6 a.m., as reported by News 8's Brian Glenn.

Evans said units were called at 3:30 a.m. to help. Hazardous materials crews were on-scene cleaning up vehicle fluids. No one had to be extricated from a vehicle by Dallas Fire-Rescue, Evans said.

A Rockwall Police Department dispatcher says a few units assisted with blocking off the Dalrock Road exit but had no additional information. The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Garland Police Department are also helping investigate.

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Source: WFAA (Goodman, 1/10)

Texas accident near Terrell kills three team roping horses

In a serious vehicular accident on Wednesday afternoon, October 30, 2013, a truck hauling U.S. team roping horses in a horse trailer veered off the eastbound Spur 557 merge ramp of IH-20. The big truck continued off the highway, striking a light pole, and jackknifed. The truck rig finally came to a stop, remaining upright, but the horse trailer containing the horses overturned and finally ended up on its side. The large highway light pole fell across one of the lanes of traffic. During the accident, a passenger vehicle became involved in the accident, sustaining some damage but nothing major.

The truck was on its way to Alabama after the U.S. Team Roping Championships in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Loaded in the trailer were four roping horses.

The Terrell Police, Terrell Fire, and Terrell Volunteer Fire Departments as well as the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident scene shortly before 1:00 p.m.

Emergency crews and road crews were able to remove one horse very quickly out of the wreckage. With the use of a tow truck, they managed to extricate the other three horses.

Injuries to the horses took the lives of two animals at the scene early on after the accident. One other horse had to be euthanized due to serious injuries. The fourth horse survived during and after the accident, and was emergency transported to the Equine Veterinary Services in Terrell, Texas, where it is holding its own at this time.

These horses were worth immense sentimental value to everyone involved with them. Reportedly the surviving horse is worth an estimated $200,000.

The driver of the truck survived with a head injury and was treated at the scene of the accident. According to the driver, there was some kind of a vibration sound just before the crash.

During and after the accident, traffic was snarled and backed up to FM148. On the eastbound side, traffic halted as well.

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Source: Examiner (Rucki, 11/01)

Fiery 18-Wheeler Crash Shuts Down North Texas Highway

FORNEY – It’s a Friday evening, rush hour traffic nightmare for drivers trying to get through Forney.

The eastbound side of the US 80 Bridge, just west of FM 460, had to be closed after an 18-wheeler crashed, overturned and caught fire.

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) spokesman Tony Hartzel said the traffic situation is even worse because the area is so rural. “And there are no frontage roads in that area, so there are no options for travelers to go around in that immediate area,” he said. “So what we’re asking people to do is consider taking I-20 or I-30 as alternate routes.”

The cab of the truck appeared to be on fire as Chopper 11 flew overhead. Officials with the Forney Police Department, from several surrounding cities, and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Deputies all responded to the crash and subsequent traffic tie-up.

Hartzel said bridge inspectors have been called to the scene. “The truck overturned and caught fire just before FM 460 and it is on a bridge over one of the Trinity River relief routes, some of the water crossings for the Trinity.”

Shortly after the crash a CareFlite medical helicopter transported a man to Parkland Medical Center. It isn’t known if that man was the truck driver.

Officials gave no estimate on how long the highway would be closed.

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Source: CBS-DFW (AP, 8/02)