Details few for crash near Dallas that killed 4, injured 9

A late-night accident in a rural area of a Fort Worth suburb killed four people. The victims who died in the multi-vehicle car accident were a stranded motorist alongside an unlit road and three people trying to assist her, including a Burleson minister.

Tarrant County emergency personal found a number of teens among the nine injured survivors from the crash. Authorities have not been able to explain what happened. Agents with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission have been called in to determine whether underage alcohol use was related to the fatal auto accident.

The 24-year-old stranded female motorist had broken down on a Saturday night. The 41-year-old minister and two neighborhood residents, a 52-year-old woman and her 21-year-old daughter, abandoned other plans to help.

Police reports are vague about the involvement of two other vehicles, a pickup truck loaded with teenagers and a Volkswagen with two occupants. The drivers of both vehicles were teens, one 16 and the other 18. Seven passengers were in the pickup. Presumably, some of victims were not inside the truck cab.

At the time the accident reached the news media, no charges had been filed against anyone involved in the crash.

The Alsbury Baptist Church minister had just been to a celebration for his son, a recent graduate of a Burleson high school. The church official left behind a wife, two sons and a daughter. One of the victim’s sons said the family would turn to their strong religious beliefs to understand the tragedy.

It could take months before the injured victims and grieving families learn how and why the crash took place. Expenses for funerals, burials and medical care will pile up, which could quickly drain the victims’ resources.

The beginnings of economic, physical and emotional recovery are possible even as criminal charges are considered. Liability lawsuits for injury and wrongful death can yield compensation to alleviate suffering.

Source: star-telegram.com, “Son of minister killed in wreck focuses on forgiving” Bill Miller, Jun. 18, 2013