FLINT, Texas (KLTV) - Four people have died and a toddler is in critical condition after a multi-vehicle crash in Flint, according to authorities.
The wreck happened around 8 a.m. on Highway 155, south of FM 344 near County Road 1263, in Smith County.
“It’s a tragic scene,” said Sgt. Adam Albritton with DPS. “Anytime one person dies, it’s tragic. But when we have multiple fatalities, it’s not never any good.”
A Toyota Highlander, occupied only by the driver, was traveling south when it crossed into the north bound lane for unknown reasons, according to Department of Public Safety Sergeant Adam Albritton.
It then struck a northbound Cadillac SUV head on that was occupied by three adults and a roughly two-year-old, Albritton said.
None of the five people involved, including the child, were properly restrained or wearing seatbelts, Albritton said.
The four adults were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Smith County Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 Judge Andy Dunklin.
The toddler was taken to an East Texas hospital with trauma injuries before being flown to a Dallas hospital in critical condition, according to Albritton and Smith County ESD2 spokesperson Nikki Simmons.
“You’re 51 percent more likely to survive a crash by wearing your seat belt....You know, had they had their seat belt on, we don’t know what the outcome would have been. And it’s super tragic that the two-year-old was not restrained in any way,” Albritton said.