Texas truck crash: one person killed and 13 injured at government building
One person was killed and 13 others were injured when a stolen semitrailer crashed into a Texas department of public safety (DPS) office in a rural town west of Houston on Friday, authorities said.
The driver suspected of the crash has been identified as 42-year-old Clenard Parker. He was arrested on the scene, though investigators have not immediately said which charges he might face.
Officials have also said the crash to which Parker has been linked was a deliberate attack in retaliation for having been denied a commercial driver’s license.
Texas DPS officials said in a social media post on X that the crash happened at the agency’s office in Brenham, Texas, located about 75 miles west of Houston. Officials said of those injured, eight were treated on the scene, and six were flown to three separate hospitals in the area.
A state lawmaker said the vehicle was stolen in an apparent “intentional” crash. The state senator Lois Kolkhorst said three people were airlifted to a hospital and three more were transported in serious condition following the commercial vehicle crash.
In a separate social media post, a Montgomery county government official, Mark Keough, said the driver responsible for the crash had been rejected for a commercial driver’s license on Thursday. “He returned with intent to harm,” Keough said.
The Texas rangers were investigating the case and said there is no further threat, according to DPS officials on Friday.
Multiple news outlets showed images of a large, red tractor-trailer hauling material on a flatbed in the parking lot of the building. The front end of the 18-wheeler was damaged and covered with debris from the front doors of the office. Debris was also scattered out front near a gaping hole in the entrance.
DPS officials did not immediately respond to requests for additional information.
City of Brenham officials did not immediately respond to calls seeking further information.