Two Killed, Three Young Passengers Hurt as SUV Strikes 18-Wheeler North of Texarkana

What Happened North of Texarkana?

On Thursday, July 16, 2026, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash at a highway crossing along the U.S. Highway 59/71 corridor north of Texarkana in Bowie County, according to reporting by the Texarkana Gazette and KSLA News 12.

Citing the preliminary DPS investigation, the Gazette reported that the driver of a Volvo truck tractor pulling a trailer failed to yield the right of way while crossing the northbound lanes of the highway to turn south, and was struck by a northbound Volkswagen SUV. KSLA reported that the SUV went underneath the 18-wheeler.

The driver of the SUV, identified by the Gazette as Casandra Welch, 32, of Ashdown, Arkansas, and a young front-seat passenger died at the scene. Three younger passengers riding in the rear seat were taken to a nearby hospital; their conditions have not been released. The truck driver was not injured. The crash remains under investigation, and authorities have not announced any charges.

It is the second multi-fatality wreck in Bowie County in less than a week, after the July 11 head-on crash on US-259 south of DeKalb that killed four people.

Failure to Yield, Trucks, and Underride Crashes

Texas law addresses exactly this situation: under Chapter 545 of the Texas Transportation Code, a driver crossing or turning across a roadway must yield the right of way to vehicles approaching so closely as to be an immediate hazard. Whether that duty was met here is a question for the completed DPS investigation, not the preliminary findings.

When a passenger vehicle strikes the side or rear of a tractor-trailer and slides beneath it, safety regulators call it an underride crash — among the deadliest crash types on American highways, because the trailer can intrude into the passenger compartment. Commercial trucking is also federally regulated: motor carriers operating in interstate commerce are subject to federal safety rules and are generally required to carry far higher liability insurance minimums than ordinary drivers, under 49 CFR Part 387.

Who Can Be Affected?

A crash like this reaches an entire family at once. People who may have questions about their legal options can include:

• The spouse, children, and parents of those who died — the family members Texas law recognizes in a wrongful death case
• The young passengers who were hospitalized, whose claims are typically brought by a parent or guardian on their behalf
• The estates of those who died, which can have survival claims of their own
• Anyone now facing medical bills, funeral costs, or lost income because of the crash

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:

• A wrongful death 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 for their losses, and the estate can bring a survival claim for the deceased’s own damages.
• Claims against a motor carrier — attorneys explain that when the truck was working for a trucking company, the company itself can often be responsible for its driver’s on-the-job negligence, and commercial policies required by federal law are typically far larger than personal auto policies.
• Claims for injured children — under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Chapter 16, the limitations period for a person younger than 18 is generally paused until they turn 18 — though attorneys caution that waiting has real costs, because evidence disappears long before deadlines do.
• Cases near the state line — attorneys who practice in the Texarkana area explain that a claim generally arises where the crash happened — here, Bowie County, Texas — even when the family lives across the line in Arkansas.

A lawyer can obtain the DPS crash report when it is complete, send preservation letters so the truck’s electronic data and the carrier’s records are not lost, deal with the insurance companies, and identify every source of compensation that may apply.

Why Acting Quickly Can Matter

Texas law sets deadlines. For most wrongful death and personal-injury cases, the statute of limitations is generally two years, with limited exceptions such as the pause for minors described above. In truck cases, attorneys describe a second clock that runs faster: onboard electronic data can be overwritten, driver logs and inspection records can be routinely destroyed, and the truck itself can be repaired and returned to service. While the DPS investigation is still open, many families have a lawyer monitoring it on their behalf.

Sources

1. Texarkana Gazette — Ashdown woman, young person killed in collision with tractor-trailer near Texarkana
2. KSLA News 12 — 2 killed, 3 hospitalized in crash north of Texarkana
3. Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 545 (Operation and Movement of Vehicles)
4. 49 CFR Part 387 (Minimum Levels of Financial Responsibility for Motor Carriers)
5. Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, Chapter 71 (Wrongful Death; Survival)
6. Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, Chapter 16 (Limitations)