A five-year-old child was killed in a car accident on Sunday, when the truck she was riding in was involved in a multi-vehicle accident resulting from drivers’ inability to see through the smoke of a wildfire. The crash involved seven vehicles and several other individuals were hospitalized as a result of their injuries.
According to a Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper, the fire started in the highway median. Smoke from the wildfire steadily increased until there was almost zero visibility. When the first driver slowed to a stop the cars behind him were not able to see to stop in time.
The young girl who lost her life in this tragic accident was riding in a truck which was pushed off the road and into a pasture during the crash. The collision caused the truck to ignite. Her uncle, who was driving the truck, was able to rescue another child that was in the vehicle. He was unable to free his niece from the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames. The Uncle and the child that he was able to rescue were both hospitalized.
The wildfire which started in the median spread across the highway and engulfed about a mile of adjoining pasture in less than 15 minutes. Firefighters were able to bring it under control before it reached a nearby residential area. Dry, windy conditions caused this and several other fires in the area. The various fires burned almost 90 thousand acres and have destroyed many homes.
Source: UPI.com “Child dies in crash caused by wildfire” February 28, 2011