One person was critically injured early Monday morning when two 18-wheelers collided along Interstate 30 in Royse City.
The Royse City Police Department reported a call came in at around 12:15 a.m. Monday received a call of the collision on the eastbound interstate just past FM 2642.
The accident was reported to have occurred when an 18-wheeler that had suffered some type of engine failure pulled over onto the outside shoulder at approximately the 82 mile marker. A second 18-wheeler was heading eastbound, left the roadway and began driving on the outside shoulder for unknown reasons and collided with the back of the parked 18-wheeler.
The driver of the second vehicle was ejected onto the roadway approximately 100 yards from the initial area of impact. Once the second 18-wheeler came to a stop in the slow lane of travel approximately 200 yards after impact, it caught fire and was completely engulfed in flames when the officers arrived.
The driver of the second vehicle was taken by air ambulance to Medical Center of Plano in critical condition. The other driver was uninjured. The eastbound side of Interstate 30 was closed just past FM2642 for several hours but reopened around 6:45 a.m. Monday.
The Royse City Fire Department, Fate Department of Public Safety, Hunt County Sheriff’s Office, Caddo Mills Police Department, Caddo Mills Fire Department, Union Valley Fire Department and the Texas DPS assisted with the scene.
As of Monday evening the accident was being investigated by the Royse City Police Department Accident Investigators.