KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — A truck driver faces five manslaughter counts after falling asleep at the wheel and causing a chain reaction crash that killed five people Saturday on Interstate 20.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said Alexis Gonzalez-Companioni was driving his tractor-trailer west near the Hiram Road bridge. Traffic was stopped in the area for an earlier crash.
DPS investigators determined Gonzalez-Companioni fell asleep while driving. His tractor-trailer plowed into the stopped traffic at the accident scene.
The collision launched a chain reaction crash involving seven total vehicles. The truck collided with a Ford F-150 pickup, killing four occupants inside the vehicle. A fifth occupant suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to an area hospital. The driver of another car died in the multi-vehicle accident.
Traffic remained at a standstill for hours while investigators worked through the wreckage. The accident closed multiple lanes of the busy interstate.
Gonzalez-Companioni faces five counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities have not released his age or place of residence.
DPS continues investigating the fatal wreck and has not yet released the names of the five victims who died in the accident.
