2 people killed after oversize load falls onto Texas highway

Flatbed truck was hauling a 175-ton load that came loose near Temple

An oversize load broke loose from a trailer on a Texas highway and killed two people, officials said. (Photo: Temple Fire & Rescue).

UPDATE- Authorities have identified the two victims of a fatal accident involving a passenger vehicle and tractor-trailer in Temple, Texas, on Saturday.

The Temple Police Department said 22-year-old Abigail Boatwright and 17-year-old Evan Boatwright, both of Gatesville, Texas, died as a result of the accident. The driver of the passenger vehicle remains in stable condition at a hospital.

Authorities are still investigating the cause the accident that the Boatwrights and critically injured the driver when an oversize load from a passing flatbed truck came loose and fell onto their vehicle on a Texas highway.

The accident happened shortly after 11 a.m., and firefighters in Temple, Texas, responded to the reported collision along State Highway 36. 


“Upon arrival crews found an oversized load had come off of its trailer, pinning a vehicle beneath,” Temple Fire & Rescue said in a Facebook post. “The load being hauled by the transport fleet was approximately 350,000 pounds. It is not known what the piece of equipment is.”

Two people died and a third was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries after a piece of equipment came loose from a truck and collided with their vehicle on a Texas Highway. (Photo: Temple Fire & Rescue) 

The pinned vehicle had three occupants. Two passengers died, and a third was extricated and flown to an emergency room with life-threatening injuries. 

“Extrication took just over four hours to safely remove the driver from the vehicle,” Temple Fire & Rescue said.       


Temple is about 100 miles north of Austin along Interstate 35.

Authorities did not release the names of the victims, the truck driver or the trucking company involved in the accident.

Temple Fire & Rescue responded with 10 units and 25 personnel, according to a release. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. 

The road where the accident occurred has been closed since Saturday.

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