Pickup driver ID'd in fiery crash on I-30 in Arlington

Forty-nine-year-old Michal Thornburg was killed Monday night after his pickup hit a concrete divider and caught fire.

Thornburg died of chest injuries after hitting the divider, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner.

Thornburg was killed, and a portion of Interstate 30 in Arlington was closed Monday evening, after a pickup he was driving hit a concrete divider and caught fire, witnesses and authorities said. Arlington police confirmed he was the only person in the pickup.

Arlington resident Lisa Dealy said she watched as a white pickup two vehicles ahead of her tried to leave the HOV express lane on westbound I-30 near Texas 360 at the last minute. The pickup hit the divider and caught fire, she said.

“One man ran over to the right side of the truck to try to help, but the flames were just too high,” Dealy said. “Nobody got out of the truck.”

Dealy, who said she was on her way home from work, said the crash happened at 5:47 p.m.

“It looked as if the truck was going to go down the express lane and decided not to at the last minute,” she said. “I couldn’t tell if there was more than one person in the car.”

Dealy called 911 and told them to hurry because the truck was “sparking and popping” in the wind.

“It burst into flames very quickly,” she said.

— Monica S. Nagy

This story was originally published June 8, 2015 at 7:47 PM with the headline "Pickup driver ID'd in fiery crash on I-30 in Arlington."