UPDATED STORY - Tue, Dec 12th, 2023 at 4:23pm
Burkeville Fire Chief Charles Duckworth says heavy smoke resulted in a multi-vehicle accident on Tuesday morning. It happened at about 8:00 on Recreational Road 255, approximately 3 miles west of Highway 87 in the Mayflower Community. Duckworth said there were injuries, but fortunately they were only minor. According to Chief Duckworth, timber companies began large controlled burns on both sides of Highway 255 on Monday. However, with very high atmospheric pressure and no wind, the smoke hovered on the ground and visibility was reduced to about 100 feet, which Duckworth said the major factor in the wreck. Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Shana Clark later said that a GMC pickup truck was westbound and followed by a Peterbilt truck-tractor semi-trailer, while a Chevrolet pickup truck was eastbound. Clark said that the driver of the Chevrolet crossed into the oncoming lane and struck the GMC. After impact, the 18-wheeler struck the Chevrolet. The driver of the GMC, 61-year-old Karen Mills, of Hemphill, was treated on scene for minor injuries. The truck driver, 50-year-old Johnny Reed, of Burkeville, was not injured, and the driver of the Chevrolet, 62-year-old Gregory Viator, of Brookeland, was not injured.