14 van passengers killed, injured in Wise County crash identified by Texas DPS
The five victims killed and the other nine injured in a single-vehicle Wise County crash on Wednesday have been identified by authorities, according to a news release from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The van crash happened just before 8 a.m. in the northbound lanes of U.S. 287 in Alvord, according to the DPS.
The preliminary investigation determined a Chevrolet Express 3500 van was traveling on the highway when the driver veered off the left side of the road. The driver overcorrected and lost control, causing the vehicle to roll over, the release states.
Multiple passengers were ejected from the van, designed to hold 15 passengers, the DPS reported. Only one passenger was wearing a seat belt, investigators said.
The three men who were pronounced dead at the scene were identified as Diony Antoine, 46; JN Irard Vixamar, 42; and Ledene Pierre-Louis, 36. Antoine was driving the vehicle, according to the report.
A fourth female passenger, 28-year-old Geneve Louis, was pronounced dead at Medical City Denton hospital, according to the DPS.
A fifth passenger, identified as 35-year-old Junior Louis, died Friday evening. He had been seriously injured in the crash and transported to Medical City Denton, according to DPS.
The other 9 passengers who were injured, who were all men, were sent to hospitals in Fort Worth and Denton. Two had critical injuries. They were identified as:
Noel Fednel, 35
Dieudyrat Eliassaint, 33
Walnick Desir, 33
Reginald Neptune, 34
Marc Jean Lorkens Baptiste, 25
Vincola Lecean, 52
Jean Edson, 35
Jean Philippe Durock, 47
Manius Vines, 44
The passengers were all Florida residents of Haitian descent and were traveling from Florida to New Mexico, according to the release. Authorities have not stated the purpose of their trip,, but the DPS investigation confirmed the travelers were not victims of human trafficking or smuggling, the release states. Authorities have also said the van was not from a church or school.
The investigation is ongoing.
This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 4:51 PM.
