DALLAS — The family of a driver who died in a fiery accident on Interstate 35E early Saturday morning said they are getting conflicting information about exactly what happened.
Twenty-year-old Cody Acton of Mesquite was killed in the wreck at 5:15 a.m. Saturday near Wycliff Avenue.
Police said it all started when the driver of a Chevrolet Suburban fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a concrete barrier.
The impact spun the SUV around and it ended up disabled in one of the southbound lanes, according to the police report.
What happened next is still not clear.
Police said the driver of the SUV turned on his hazard lights, but left the scene. Police said he apparently went home.
Moments later, police said Acton — driving a Honda Civic in the southbound lanes — happened upon the accident and slammed into the stalled SUV. A Pontiac sports car then struck the back of Acton's vehicle.
Acton's family, however, said they were told a different story by detectives — that Acton had stopped to help the stranded SUV, not realizing the driver had fled. The Pontiac then slammed into his Honda sedan, triggering a fiery explosion.
News 8 has attempted to get clarification about the sequence of events, but Dallas police have not yet responded.
Acton's family said he worked as a mechanic and would often stop to help stranded drivers.
"If he saw a car that was stranded and there was a person beside it, he would stop, no matter what — whether it was raining or it was snowing, he would stop." said Morgan Acton-Brown, the victim's sister. "I've heard about it, but I've never thought it would happen to my brother."
Dallas police said they have made contact with the driver of the SUV, but so far, no charges have been filed.
E-mail jbetz@wfaa.com
