1 dead, 8 injured in fiery pileup wreck on Loop 375 in far East El Paso
A 28-year-old man was killed in a nine-vehicle crash caused by the driver of a heavy tow truck who was unable to avoid striking a vehicle in front of him as traffic slowed on a far East El Paso highway, authorities said.
The driver of the gray Peterbilt heavy tow truck was traveling on Loop 375 North between Pebble Hills and Edgemere boulevards near Montana Avenue about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, when traffic began to slow down on the highway, El Paso Police Department officials said.
Seven of the vehicles in the crash caught fire.
As traffic slowed, the driver swerve to avoid hitting a Ford Edge in front of him, but was unable to avoid the collision.
The crash then caused a chain reaction with the Ford Edge being pushed into a Dodge Charger that was then pushed into a Honda Accord, officials said.
The Ford Edge caught fire. The crash caused the vehicle to be redirected and it struck a Ford Ranger, officials said.
The drivers of four vehicles — a Toyota Camry, Pontiac G5, Hyundai Tucson and Hyundai Elantra — all attempted to avoid the crash but were unsuccessful.
The Honda Accord driver, a 28-year-old man, died at the scene of the crash. His name was not released.
The eight other drivers involved in the wreck were taken to hospitals for treatment.
One of the drivers suffered severe injuries, El Paso Fire Department officials said. The seven others sustained "minor to moderate" injuries, fire officials said.
No further information was released.
Loop 375 was shut down for hours because of the crash but was reopened early Thursday morning.
Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.
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This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Loop 375 crash: 1 dead, 8 injured in fiery wreck in East El Paso
