Arlington investigation into 2 dead in 8-car crash ongoing
Drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents often times have elevated emotions. That may have been the case in a chain reaction car accident near Dallas involving eight vehicles. The accident ended with the death two people, one apparently from a gunshot wound. Arlington police took one of the drivers involved in the crash into custody, after reports the unidentified man caused the crash and shot a man who may have been offering help.
Newspaper accounts and witnesses stated that a dark-colored Chevy Tahoe was speeding at about 100 mph when it struck the rear of a pickup truck in an Arlington intersection. The driver of the Dodge pickup died at the accident scene.
The collision with the pickup set off a chain reaction accident that involved another half-dozen vehicles. Initial witness accounts said two cars were severed in half.
A second, unidentified man was killed when he was shot while walking up to the driver of the SUV. Eyewitnesses reported that the Chevy Tahoe driver was ranting incoherently, pushing people away and “half-laughing” as he allegedly opened fire on the man trying to approach him.
Officials did not confirm whether the young man who was shot was one of the accident victims or a passerby trying to help. Two small children, reported relatives of the alleged shooter, were removed from the rear of the SUV.
Witnesses said several people involved in the multi-vehicle accident were hurt. Authorities did not release information readily about the identities or total number of people injured in the crash or the extent of their injuries. No formal statements about the accident have been made by Arlington police.
There has been no confirmation of early witness accounts that the SUV driver had been fleeing a hit-and-run accident prior to the high-speed collision.
Source: USA Today, “2 dead after multi-car crash, shooting near Dallas,” Michael Winter, Dec. 14, 2011