A trucker in Texas allegedly fell asleep at the wheel of his 18-wheeler on Interstate 20 in the middle of the day Saturday, resulting in a fatal crash and pileup involving two other semis and three cars, killing five people, according to officials.
The driver, Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni, 27, is charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for his actions, according to the Texas Department of Safety. He is currently being held under a $1.5 million bond.
“He stated that he had fallen asleep,” Texas DPS Sgt. Kyle Bradford told Law&Crime Monday. “They are obviously doing more research, but that is what he stated.”
Gonzalez-Companion was driving west on I-20 in Kaufman County when he reported snoozing at the wheel, according to DPS and fire officials. Traffic was stopped near the Hiram Road bridge when he allegedly collided with the victims.
“It was a big boom,” resident Shelly Timms, who witnessed the crash at 2:40 p.m., told local CBS affiliate KTVT. “Big, big boom,” she exclaimed.
Corinne Mulcahy, a nearby resident, claims she saw Gonzalez-Companioni slam into a Ford F-150 that was carrying five people and stalled in traffic. Four people were pronounced dead on the scene; a fifth was hospitalized in critical condition; and another died in the pileup.
“I’ll tell you, man, I don’t know how many miles an hour he was going when he was driving, but he hit that car, and I knew he killed everybody in that truck,” Mulcahy told the television station KTVT.
According to Bradford, after allegedly crashing into the F-150, Gonzalez-Companioni’s truck collided with two other 18-wheelers, causing one of them to jackknife and strike four other passenger vehicles.
Buddha Wyrick, a property manager at a nearby RV resort, said other drivers on the road were shaken and came to the establishment to call police and calm their nerves. Bradford told Law&Crime that multiple victims were treated at the scene for injuries, but it’s unclear how many.
“They were upset and traumatized,” Wyrick stated about the motorists. “A few people saw it right in front of them. They were like, ‘We’re the fourth car back,’ or, ‘the second car back.’ And they were telling me stories.”
Following the crash, officials from the Terrell Volunteer Fire Department described the scene as “horrific” and declared it a “mass casualty” event. Emergency crews reportedly closed traffic in both directions while first responders treated injured people. A Jeep Compass, Ford Mustang, and Honda passenger car were also reported to have been involved. The fifth victim was someone from the Compass.
“All you could see was one 18-wheeler, with half of the back end missing,” resident Leak Akins told local NBC affiliate KXAS. “And then another 18-wheeler, the cab was completely gone.”
Bradford stated that the Texas Department of Public Safety would not release the identities of the deceased until their next of kin was notified. Updates are expected to arrive on Monday afternoon.
