4 dead, 5 injured after crash on I-35W in Fort Worth
A man and three women died after a crash involving five vehicles on northbound Interstate 35W in Fort Worth on Monday night, according to police.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified those who died at the crash scene as 31-year-old Susana Longoria; 23-year-old Kiara Barker, of Bastrop, Louisiana; and 25-year-old Chase Mapes, of Yukon, Oklahoma. Jasmine Jones, 21, died at a hospital. The medical examiner’s website did not list home cities for Jones and Longoria.
A MedStar spokesperson said one additional woman and four men had injuries and were transported to hospitals, making a total of nine patients.
A police spokesperson speaking at the crash scene said it started as a minor accident between two cars headed north on I-35 between Berry and Felix. The drivers pulled over on the left shoulder and another driver stopped to help and partially blocked the left lane. An 18-wheeler then collided with the stopped vehicles and a second 18-wheeler hit the first, said the spokesman, Officer Daniel Segura.
A MedStar spokesperson said Tuesday that everyone who died or was taken to the hospital as a result of the crash was an adult.
The cause of the accidents is under investigation. Police said they don’t believe that alcohol or weather were factors. It wasn’t raining at the time of the initial collision, reported at 9:09 p.m., Segura said.
The Texas Department of Transportation said the crash resulted in a closure of both north and southbound I-35W between Berry Street and Seminary Drive. The interstate reopened early Tuesday, the Texas Department of Transportation said shortly after 4 a.m. on social media.
The section of the interstate was closed again later Tuesday on the northbound side as investigators worked to reconstruct how the crash happened.
A police incident detail report, which includes preliminary information about a scene for officers who are responding, listed the call as initially being a minor accident.
“All the major accidents evolved from that accident,” Segura said.
A 911 operator noted that a caller reported the first crash shortly after 9 p.m. and then disconnected the call and was not able to be reached on call-back attempts.
This story was originally published September 11, 2023 at 9:56 PM.