KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — A 27-year-old truck driver has been arrested and charged after a catastrophic multi-vehicle crash on I-20 that left five people dead and several others injured.
Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni is facing five counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following the deadly wreck that occurred near Wills Point in Kaufman County.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Companioni was driving an 18-wheeler westbound on I-20 when he fell asleep at the wheel. Traffic had slowed due to a previous accident, and Companioni’s semi-truck slammed into a pickup truck carrying five passengers.
The force of the collision triggered a chain reaction, pushing his rig into two other semi-trucks. One of the trucks jackknifed and struck three additional passenger vehicles.
Four occupants of the pickup truck died at the scene, and one was airlifted to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. The fifth fatality was the occupant of another vehicle involved in the secondary impact. Two others sustained injuries but are expected to recover.
Companioni is currently in custody at the Kaufman County Jail. Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims.
The investigation into the full scope of the crash and number of injuries is ongoing.
