Dayton police responded to two major vehicle crashes on Friday, one of which resulted in the death of a 21-year-old woman from Dayton, Texas.
The first crash occurred around 6:16 a.m. in the westbound lane of U.S. Highway 90 near the Liberty-Harris county line. According to Lt. Eric Ibarra, a spokesperson for the Dayton Police Department, a 21-year-old woman was driving a 2017 Mazda 6 eastbound in the westbound lane when she struck multiple vehicles, including a head-on collision that claimed her life.
Police are withholding the woman’s name pending family notification.
The crash began when the Mazda side-swiped a red Ford F-150 driven by Jonathan Martinez, 19, of Ames. The vehicle then collided head-on with a Mitsubishi Raider, killing the wrong-way driver and injuring the driver and passenger of the Raider. Their names have not been released, but Ibarra said they were transported to area hospitals and are expected to recover.
A fourth vehicle, a black 2007 Cadillac SUV driven by Oscar Cordova, 34, of Liberty, struck debris from the crash while attempting to avoid the collision. Neither Martinez nor Cordova suffered serious injuries, Ibarra said.
The westbound lane of U.S. 90 was shut down for several hours as police investigated the scene and cleared the roadway.
Roughly four hours later, a second major crash occurred within Dayton city limits involving an 18-wheeler and other vehicles. Ibarra said details of that crash were still being gathered, but confirmed there were no fatalities.
Both accidents remain under investigation by the Dayton Police Department.