One person is dead following several early morning crashes between jasper and Pineland - February 20, 2024

One person has died and others injured as the result of the series of accidents that occurred at about 8:00 Monday morning on Highway 96, between Brookeland and Pineland. The combination of smoke from controlled fires in the area along with heavy fog caused near zero visibility and is being blamed for the accidents which involved numerous vehicles. One elderly person died upon arrival at Sabine County Hospital in Hemphill. That person was a resident of Legacies Nursing & Rehabilitation in Hemphill and was a passenger in the nursing home's van. The Texas Department of Public Safety says the preliminary crash investigation indicates that at approximately 8 a.m., a 2020 Dodge Caravan was traveling south and following a Ford F-150 and a Chevrolet Equinox. It is reported that there was heavy smoke in the area and the driver of the Caravan failed to control speed and struck both the Ford and the Chevrolet. After the crash, a truck tractor semi-trailer traveling north struck the Ford and pushed it back into the Caravan, causing the Caravan to then strike a Ford F-250 towing a trailer traveling south. The driver of the Caravan, identified as a 64-year-old woman from Bronson, and one passenger, were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. A passenger in the Dodge Caravan was also transported. She died at the hospital. She is identified as 80-year-old Patricia Ritter of Pineland. The nursing home released the following statement; "The Legacies" transportation van was involved in the pile up on 96 this morning caused from thick smoke. We are asking for prayers for the staff members involved, and the family of our dear resident that did not survive. Our Legacies Family is grieving." The Highway had to be shut down and did not reopen until almost 11:00 as workers cleared the wreckage from the highway.