7 dead, 2 children injured in head-on collision in Texas

Seven people were killed and two children were seriously injured in a head-on collision in Texas on Thursday, authorities said.

The accident occurred at about 4:40 p.m. local time on FM 1433, about eight miles north of Carrizo Springs, said Rene Cordova, spokesman for the Del Rio office of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Carrizo Springs is located about 186 kilometers southwest of San Antonio.

A black Chrysler 300 was traveling westbound on FM 1433 “at a high rate of speed” when it lost control and crossed onto the wrong side of the road, colliding head-on with a red 1998 Dodge pickup truck traveling eastbound, Cordova said.

The Chrysler then rolled into a ditch and caught fire, killing the driver and three passengers, he said.

All four people were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Due to the severity of their injuries, their identities have not yet been established.

The driver and two of the passengers of the Dodge were pronounced dead. They were identified as Isabel Small, 50, San Juanita De La Cruz, 64, and Victor Manuel Martinez, 83, according to Cordova. They lived in Crystal City, Texas.

Two children were also in the Dodge and were flown by helicopter from the crash site to University Hospital in San Antonio, Cardova said. Their condition is unknown.

The DPS is investigating the accident.