Mother and Two Children Killed When 18-Wheeler Struck a Stalled Car on U.S. 80

What Happened on U.S. 80 in Kaufman County?

A 38-year-old woman and two children, ages 14 and 9, were killed late on Sunday, July 26, 2026, when an 18-wheeler struck their stalled car on U.S. Highway 80 in Kaufman County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety accounts reported by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, CBS News Texas and KHOU 11.

DPS Highway Patrol said its preliminary investigation found that a 2013 Hyundai passenger car had become disabled in the right lane of eastbound U.S. 80, east of Windmill Farms Boulevard between Forney and Terrell, at about 11:35 p.m. An eastbound truck-tractor semi-trailer approaching the stopped car was unable to avoid a collision and struck it from behind. The impact sent the car over the concrete railing of a bridge.

The woman who had been driving and both children were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi-trailer was not injured. Officials described the scene as catastrophic, and eastbound lanes of the highway were closed for roughly seven and a half hours while investigators worked.

State troopers are still investigating. Preliminary accounts can change as an investigation develops, and no final determination of cause or fault has been announced.

A Stalled Car in a Live Traffic Lane at Night

A vehicle that stops in a travel lane after dark is one of the situations highway engineers and safety regulators treat as especially dangerous. A loaded tractor-trailer traveling at highway speed needs a great deal more distance to stop than a passenger car, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration publishes annual data on how often crashes involving large trucks are fatal for the occupants of the other vehicle rather than for the truck driver.

Texas rules on following distance and on speed that is reasonable and prudent for conditions appear in Chapter 545 of the Texas Transportation Code, which also addresses stopping, standing, and parking on a roadway. Federal rules on how long a commercial driver may be behind the wheel are set out in the FMCSA hours-of-service regulations. How any of those rules apply to a particular crash is a question for the investigation and for a lawyer reviewing the file, not something that can be answered from a news report.

Who Can Be Affected?

• The surviving family of the woman who died — a spouse, other children, or her parents
• The parents and guardians of the two children who were killed
• Relatives left with funeral costs, medical bills, or lost household income
• Other motorists who were on U.S. 80 that night and witnessed the crash or its aftermath

What Kind of Claim Might Apply?

Attorneys who handle Texas truck crash cases generally describe several paths that can apply once the facts are established. Which of them fits any particular family depends on findings that have not been made yet in this case:

• A wrongful death and survival claim — under Chapter 71 of the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, the surviving spouse, children, and parents of a person killed by another’s wrongful act can generally seek compensation, and the estate can bring a survival claim of its own. When children die, the claim usually belongs to their parents.
• Claims involving the motor carrier — when a commercial vehicle is involved, the company that employs the driver and the company whose freight was being hauled may also be part of the picture. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations govern driver qualification, hours of service, and record retention, and attorneys often ask for those records early.
• Questions about why the car was disabled — attorneys reviewing a case like this often look at whether a vehicle defect, a recent repair, or a roadway condition contributed to the breakdown that put the car in a live lane. Open recalls can be checked for free through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage — the Texas Department of Insurance explains that this optional coverage helps pay when the responsible driver has no insurance or not enough. A lawyer can read a family’s own auto policy along with any other coverage that may apply.
• Comparative fault — Texas allocates responsibility among the people involved in a crash under Chapter 33 of the Civil Practice & Remedies Code. In a crash involving a disabled vehicle, that analysis depends on the physical evidence, lighting, hazard signals, and timing — not on early news accounts.

None of this assumes fault on anyone’s part, and DPS has announced no findings. It reflects the questions Texas attorneys say grieving families often ask after a crash with a big rig, and the evidence they typically want preserved before conclusions are drawn.

Why Acting Quickly Can Matter

For most Texas wrongful death and injury cases, the statute of limitations is generally two years — and a lawyer can explain how those deadlines apply to a specific situation, including how they work for claims on behalf of children. Commercial trucks carry electronic logging devices and engine control data, and trucking companies keep dispatch records, driver qualification files, and maintenance logs on retention schedules that can be short. The tractor and trailer usually go back into service quickly, and a damaged passenger car can be released to a salvage yard within days. Many families choose to have a lawyer send a preservation letter and begin an independent review early, while the DPS investigation is still developing and the physical evidence still exists.

Sources

1. FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth — DPS identifies mother and two children killed in U.S. 80 semi-truck crash near Terrell
2. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth — 2 children, 1 adult killed in Kaufman County crash involving 18-wheeler
3. CBS News Texas — 18-wheeler slams into car, killing woman and 2 children along North Texas highway
4. KHOU 11 — Three dead, including two children, after crash involving 18-wheeler near Terrell
5. CBS19 — DPS: 18-wheeler collision kills woman, 2 children on U.S. Highway 80
6. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — Large truck and bus crash facts
7. Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 545 (Operation and Movement of Vehicles)
8. Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, Chapter 71 (Wrongful Death; Survival)
9. Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, Chapter 16 (Limitations)