A crash in Grayson County killed three people, including two children, officials say.
VAN ALSTYNE, Texas — A Saturday afternoon crash in Grayson County took the lives of a man and two children, officials say.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), a 2007 Dodge 3500 was driving westbound on FM-3133 behind a 2017 Toyota Tacoma, ascending a hill. DPS says the Dodge tried to pass the Toyota in a no-passing zone and crashed head-on into a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado, also hitting the Toyota in the process.
The Chevy caught fire, according to DPS, and when troopers responded around 12:30 p.m., the driver of the Silverado, 41-year-old Tommy Moorehead III, of Leonard, and two passengers, a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Tacoma was treated at the scene, per DPS.
Trenton ISD in Fannin County confirmed that the six-year-old passenger, Lynnlee Moorehead, was a first-grade elementary student at the district. Counselors will be at the elementary campus today to assist students and staff, the district said.
“Lynnlee was a ray of sunshine and her smile would light up any room,”Jeremy Strickland, superintendent of Trenton ISD, said. “This is a difficult time for our school district and our community. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and especially her mother as she begins to navigate the loss of her family.”
The driver of the Dodge, 63-year-old Rocky Patterson, of Rowlett, was taken to a local hospital. On Sunday, Texas Highway Patrol troopers obtained an arrest warrant for Patterson, charging him with three counts of manslaughter. DPS says Patterson was arrested and booked into the Grayson County Jail.