Pothole that caused fatal crash on I-20 near Aledo was dangerous, locals say
Area residents say a large pothole on Interstate 20 that contributed to a fatal motorcycle crash was a known hazard, and that the Texas Department of Transportation was aware of it.
On Wednesday night, motorcyclist Dakota Tarczynski, 29, was riding westbound on I-20. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, he hit a pothole in a construction zone near FM 1187 in Aledo and lost control of his bike. Tarczynski was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dana Green, who lives in Millsap, said she hit the same pothole while driving home from work on Wednesday afternoon. Green described it as a “huge divot in the ground,” and she said it shook her vehicle so badly she thought she was going to blow out a tire.
“When I hit it, I was taken aback because I didn’t see it until I was on it.”
The pothole blended in with the surrounding pavement, Green said, making it hard to spot from a distance. But even if she had seen it earlier, Green said there was little she could do because of how narrow the highway lanes are in that construction area.
“It’s unfortunate that someone had to die because of a pothole that could have been addressed.”
One resident posted on Facebook about the crash and said he’d contacted TxDOT after hitting the pothole on Tuesday. Another person posted about reporting other potholes on that same stretch of I-20.
“We deal with the potholes several times a week. Have called and reported them. That combined with no shoulders in that construction area make it treacherous, especially at night. So sorry for the family of the rider.”
The Star-Telegram reached out to two TxDOT spokespeople on Friday, but neither responded to questions about when the agency learned about the pothole and what has been done about it to this point.
Alissa Kirksey, whose sister was in a relationship with Tarczynski, set up a GoFundMe page for the family, which includes a 1-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter Tarczynski left behind.
“Dakota was an avid motorcycle rider, a great dad and he and my sister truly loved each other,” Kirksey wrote on the page. “He is going to be greatly missed.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 3:36 PM.