HILL COUNTY — Investigators believe a blown out tire was the cause of a Hill County crash that killed a six-month-old baby and more than a dozen other family members early Monday morning on Interstate 35E.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lisa Block said the accident happened around 2 a.m. north of Hillsboro, just before the junction with I-35W.
Block said the van was pulling a trailer and the passengers told authorities they had been traveling from Dallas to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, for a family reunion.
Sheriff's department investigators said the van with 14 people aboard.
Preliminary investigations point to a blown out tire as the source of the crash. The tire was completely torn away from the passenger van.
"The driver lost control of the vehicle, overturned several times, ejecting some of the passengers," said Sr. Cpl. Charlie J. Morgan, with the Department of Public Safety.
Six-month-old Evelyn Kate Garcia was killed in the crash. Evelyn was the daughter of Dana Garcia, who was driving the van. Investigators said the infant was not in a car seat at the time of the crash.
Seven of the 13 injured family members suffered serious to critical injuries. The injured children were rushed to Children's Medical Center of Dallas. One of the children, who is autistic and disabled, is listed in critical condition.
Four adults were admitted to Parkland Memorial Hospital. One of the victims, a 22-year-old, was released in the early afternoon. A 23-year-old female and 50-year-old female remain hospitalized with conditions unknown. The fourth patient, Albert Luna, also remains in the hospital and is listed in good condition.
There was a massive amount of debris from the crash, including personal items that dotted the highway and roadside. It took crews over four hours to clear the road as predawn Labor Day traffic on I-35E was diverted around the accident scene during the investigation and cleanup.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
E-mail cvega@wfaa.com
