5 a.m. crash reveals child passed out driving 145 miles from Texas to Louisiana, cops say

Two Texas runaways were caught under unusual circumstances when one of the 13-year-old girls crashed while driving in neighboring Louisiana, according to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.

They had made it just over 145 miles before slamming into a tree Tuesday, Feb. 18, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

“At approximately 5 am ... a single-vehicle crash on US-71 near the Natchitoches-Winn Parish line,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Deputies arrived on scene finding two juvenile females, both ages 13, one suffering from minor non-life threatening injuries.”

An investigation revealed the girls were runaways from Atlanta, Texas, about a 175-mile drive northeast from Dallas.

The girl driving the car “apparently fell asleep” at the wheel, and the car crossed the center line, left the road, went through a ditch and crashed into a tree, officials said.

Emergency medical personnel assessed the injured girl at the scene and she was not taken to a hospital, officials said.

The girls were released into the custody of relatives, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators did not reveal who owns the car or where the girls were headed.

This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 6:38 AM with the headline "5 a.m. crash reveals child passed out driving 145 miles from Texas to Louisiana, cops say."