This information is preliminary and subject to change.
Release date 22 July 2025
On Saturday, June 28, 2025, about 2:40 p.m. central daylight time, a 2020 Freightliner Cascadia truck-tractor in combination with a 2016 Vanguard National Trailer Corporation semitrailer (combination vehicle) was traveling west in the right lane of Interstate 20 (I-20) near Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas. The weather was clear, and the roadway was dry. At this location, I-20 was a four-lane roadway composed of two eastbound and two westbound traffic lanes divided by a depressed earthen median. The posted speed limit along this section of I-20 was 75 mph.
As the combination vehicle approached Exit 509 (Texas Highway 67/Hiram Road), it encountered a traffic queue that had formed due to an earlier crash that occurred farther west. The driver failed to reduce the combination vehicle’s speed and struck the rear of a 2018 Ford F-150 pickup truck at the end of the queue, forcing it into the rear of a 2021 Jeep Compass. The Jeep was pushed to the left, struck a 2013 Ford Mustang in the left lane, and continued into the center median of I-20, where it collided with a cable barrier before coming to rest. After striking the Jeep, the Ford F-150 continued forward and struck the rear of a 2021 Kenworth T680 truck-tractor in combination with a 2026 Wabash National Corporation semitrailer (second combination vehicle). The Freightliner combination vehicle jackknifed to the left and continued west, causing other vehicles in the queue to become involved in the crash.
As a result of the crash, four occupants in the Ford F-150 and the driver of the Jeep, who was its sole occupant, were killed. One occupant in the Ford F-150 was seriously injured. The combination vehicle driver and the three occupants in the Ford Mustang sustained minor injuries.
Parties to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation are:
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Texas Department of Public Safety
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events.
