Gainesville, TX – January 26, 2022, 59-year-old Lisa Cato was injured in a crash with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 35 in Cooke County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 7:15 a.m. on I-35 near mile marker 497. Preliminary investigation suggests Cato’s Toyota Camry was stopped in the left lane of the highway after being disabled in a previous crash with a tractor-trailer. The truck driver parked his big rig partially on the right shoulder of the road and approached the car’s driver side to check on Cato. Nearby a Freightliner tractor-trailer approached from the north, traveling over the California Street overpass.
Reports say the approaching truck driver braked hard and tried to pass through the area between Cato’s disabled car and the truck parked partially in the right travel lane, but clipped the rear bumper of the Toyota. The impact spun the Toyota away and it struck the pedestrian in the left lane, then slid partially underneath the left side of the passing truck’s trailer. It finally came to rest stuck between the semi-trailer and the road’s concrete wall.
Cato suffered serious injuries in the accident. The pedestrian received minor injuries and reportedly ran back to his truck for cover after the collision. The driver of the striking Freightliner truck was unhurt.
No further information is currently available.